Movie · 2005 · Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller · 1h 37m · R · English
Curator score: 4.4/10 (48K ratings)
A hitman and a salesman walk into a bar...
Overview
The life of Danny Wright, a salesman forever on the road, veers into dangerous and surreal territory when he wanders into a Mexican bar and meets a mysterious stranger, Julian, who's very likely a hit man. Their meeting sets off a chain of events that will change their lives forever, as Wright is suddenly thrust into a far-from-mundane existence that he takes to surprisingly well … once he gets acclimated to it.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.4/10
IMDb: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
Metacritic: 65
TMDB: 6.3/10
Director
Richard Shepard
Production
Stratus Film Co., DEJ Productions, Furst Films, Irish Dreamtime, Bob Yari Productions, Arclight Films
Cast
Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Hope Davis, Portia Dawson, Adam Scott, Israel Tellez, Arlin Miller, Azucena Medina, Jonah Meyerson, Wiveca Bonerais, Roberto Sosa, Antonio Zavala Kugler, Ramon Alvarez, Luz Maria Molina, Philip Baker Hall, Rachel Schwartz, Carolyn Horwitz, Jorge Robles, Guillermo Ruiz, Dylan Baker
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, offbeat crime-comedy built around Pierce Brosnan’s gleefully un-Bond performance and a low-key odd-couple chemistry with Greg Kinnear. It’s uneven in pacing, but the dark humor, midlife malaise, and surprising tenderness make it an easy recommendation for viewers who like their thrillers weird and character-driven.
Best for
fans of dark comedies with crime elements
viewers who enjoy actor-driven reinventions
people who like awkward bromance stories
fans of midlife-crisis hangout movies with a sinister edge
Skip if
you want a tightly plotted thriller
you dislike slow-burn setups
you prefer action-heavy crime films
you’re not interested in tonal mashups of comedy, drama, and menace
Overview
The Matador works best as a showcase for Pierce Brosnan, who leans hard into sleazy, exhausted, and weirdly magnetic. The movie’s pleasure is watching a polished screen persona get deliberately dirtied up, while Greg Kinnear plays the more ordinary man whose life is quietly collapsing around him.
Worth noting
It’s not especially sleek or propulsive, and the first act can feel loose to a fault. But that looseness suits the film’s hangout rhythm, letting the comedy, discomfort, and loneliness accumulate until the relationship at its center starts to feel genuinely affecting.
Bottom line
What lingers is the tonal audacity: a hitman story that’s also about embarrassment, aging, and the strange relief of meeting someone even more lost than you are. It’s a minor film, but a memorable one, especially if you like crime movies that are more personality than plot.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Swartacus (4★) · 125 likes
There was a point in time that I gave this film a full 5 stars. I looked to see when that was, but it turns out I've never rated this on Letterboxd. Odd, I distinctly remember rating this 5 stars? This vexed me for hours before I realized I had given this 5 stars on Netflix's web site. Does anyone remember that you could do that in 2006? After seeing this in the theater and flat out loving it, it… more There was a point in time that I gave this film a full 5 stars. I looked to see when that was, but it turns out I've never rated this on Letterboxd. Odd, I distinctly remember rating this 5 stars? This vexed me for hours before I realized I had given this 5 stars on Netflix's web site. Does anyone remember that you could do that in 2006? After seeing this in the theater and flat out loving it, it… more
Ben Peterson (3★) · 57 likes
One of those mid-aughts quirky bromance stories about men finding themselves through wild and unlikely scenarios. And one of them has to be a hitman/assassin. And in this case that guy is played by, believe me when I say, an unhinged lunatic Pierce Brosnan. Ready to shed the suave & charming Bond persona, he seems like he is saying that in full bolded text in almost every scene and I am here for it. It's full of choices and something to… more One of those mid-aughts quirky bromance stories about men finding themselves through wild and unlikely scenarios. And one of them has to be a hitman/assassin. And in this case that guy is played by, believe me when I say, an unhinged lunatic Pierce Brosnan. Ready to shed the suave & charming Bond persona, he seems like he is saying that in full bolded text in almost every scene and I am here for it. It's full of choices and something to… more
Rob Hill (3★) · 56 likes
Man they milk the clock in this one. There are some legitimate LOL moments in the second half, but does a single thing actually happen in the first third of the film?
I'm being a little harsh there, but for a film for which I was very excited, it was definitely a bit of a letdown.
That said, sleazy Pierce Brosnan is an awesome version of the prototypical Bond.
Xeremy Hall 🟠🟢🔵 (4★) · 53 likes
I'm surprised at this one. It's 20 years old, stars 2 big name actors, and has pretty good reviews, and I've somehow never heard of this one. But the first thing I noticed is how much fun Pierce Brosnan seems to be having here. This whole movie is the Pierce Brosnan show, and he commands the screen every time he's on it. Brosnan is a sex-crazed hitman who will bang seemingly anyone he comes into contact with. He's also incredibly… more I'm surprised at this one. It's 20 years old, stars 2 big name actors, and has pretty good reviews, and I've somehow never heard of this one. But the first thing I noticed is how much fun Pierce Brosnan seems to be having here. This whole movie is the Pierce Brosnan show, and he commands the screen every time he's on it. Brosnan is a sex-crazed hitman who will bang seemingly anyone he comes into contact with. He's also incredibly… more
📀 Cammmalot 📀 (3.5★) · 38 likes
Cinematic Time Capsule2005 Marathon - Film #30
”I need your help in facilitating a fatality”
To be honest, I’ve never been all that crazy about Pierce Brosnan’s Bond films… However, I’ve always loved the cheeky fun he’s had of poking holes in that persona every chance he gets.
Especially with a role like this. I mean just watching his absurd swagger through the hotel lobby while wearing nothing but a speedo and boots kills me everytime. Plus, his back… more
1998 · Crime, Drama, Thriller · 2h 1m · R · Curator 8.0/10 (147.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
For viewers drawn to ordinary men pulled into criminal chaos and moral compromise.