The Matador

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The Matador

R

2006

1h 37m

Comedy

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

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Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

154 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Salesman Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) is working through his shaky marriage and the untimely death of his child when he bumps into the similarly dispirited Julian Noble (Pierce Brosnan) in a Mexican dive bar. After they develop an unusual but meaningful bond, the brash Julian reveals that he is a contract killer, which doesn't bother Danny. Months later, a desperate Julian shows up at Danny's home and asks for a life-changing favor that truly puts their friendship to the test.

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Critics Consensus

This humorously amoral, oddball comic thriller features strong performances by Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear as a flamboyant, aging hit-man and an out of work suburban businessman, respectively.

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Heather Havrilesky

Salon.com

07/16/2019

Hope Davis' brilliant turn as Kinnear's naive but slightly naughty wife... is the cherry on director Richard Shepard's sundae.

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Ben Walters

Time Out

08/16/2007

Brosnan's irreverent charm makes this a welcome alternative to Bond nonsense, even if it's insufficient to compensate for dreary Kinnear ...

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

01/27/2007

2/5

Nice characters and situations: unfortunately, writer-director Richard Shephard didn't have much idea where to go with them.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Mar 12

3/4

Brosnan is performing his own high-wire act here.

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Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

11/20/2019

B

Brosnan and Kinnear are up to the challenge, both delivering very solid performances. Brosnan seems to be having a lot of fun playing off his James Bond past, while Kinnear proves to be the perfect adversary.

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Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

11/13/2019

Intelligently written with sparkling and witty repartee, intriguing quirkiness and entertainment value that is endlessly enjoyable, The Matador is the film to take a stab at this week!

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Derek T

@journalforyourself 3d

Great performances and an interesting premise for a movie, an assassin struggling with his mental health. I wish the story went deeper into that, it just glosses over it into the ol' one final job trope. Now, I love a good one final job, but, unbelievably, no spoilers (because there is none), they don't even show how it happens. Just skipped right over it into a pretty lame ending.

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Bobby B

@Bobby301 Jun 27

Perfect dark comedy. Pierce has serious comedy chops!

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Joel H

@786Joel Jun 3

When I stumbled upon The Matador years ago, I was impressed by how unique it felt. And I still feel that way. The music, editing, and acting in this dark comedy all give it a quirky vibe. It’s also a lot of fun to see Pierce Brosnan, James Bond himself, play an aging hitman on the verge of a breakdown. I think this is one of his best performances, and yet this movie flew completely under the radar, and I don’t think anyone even remembers it anymore. It does make a few odd choices, and I’m not sure how we’re supposed to feel at the end, but if you haven’t seen The Matador, you should give it a shot.

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Veronica T

@Keymistress May 26

If you want to hate Pierce Brosnan while watching soft porn, this is your film. I find it disgusting and poorly written.

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Mickey B.

@Mickerdoo Dec 31

Really fun concept and I like the reveals at the end. Just needs Danny to come along on more jobs and help in seemingly harmless ways.

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Carlos Taiti Y

@RT25138031 06/29/2025

Filme: O Matador Assistido: jun/25 Elenco: @piercebrosnanofficial @the_real_greg_kinnear @medinaazucena18 @hopedaviss Modelo: #comedia #ação Duração: 1h 36m Ano: 2005 Minha opinião: Noble (Brosnan) é um assassino contratado. Que vive pelo Mundo executando aqueles que ele é contratado. Mas esta vida, lhe tras uma solidão, por não ter um vida social, familiar. Até o dia que conhece Danny (kinear) e faz amizade. Noble vai fazer mais uns trabalhos, até o dia que aparece na casa de Danny e passa uns dias na casa dele na companhia da sua família. Até o momento que adversários de Noble coloquem em risco a família de Danny. E claro que Noble resolve tudo e vive feliz com seus amigos. Um dos primeiros filmes comédia de Brosnan, um filme mediano. Vale apena assistir? sim Nota: 6

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Richard Shepard

Director

Pierce Brosnan

Julian Noble

Greg Kinnear

Danny Wright

Hope Davis

Carolyn 'Bean' Wright

Philip Baker Hall

Mr. Randy

Dylan Baker

Lovell

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Synopsis

Salesman Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) is working through his shaky marriage and the untimely death of his child when he bumps into the similarly dispirited Julian Noble (Pierce Brosnan) in a Mexican dive bar. After they develop an unusual but meaningful bond, the brash Julian reveals that he is a contract killer, which doesn't bother Danny. Months later, a desperate Julian shows up at Danny's home and asks for a life-changing favor that truly puts their friendship to the test.

Director: Richard Shepard
Producer: Pierce Brosnan, Bryan Furst, Sean Furst, Beau St. Clair
Screenwriter: Richard Shepard
Production Co: Stratus Films, DEJ Productions
Rating: R (Strong Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Crime
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 27, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.6M
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Surround