Did anyone else see this? I caught it on Friday on a whim. I had seen one commercial for it, read one good review and figured, eh, why not?
I rather enjoyed it, although I thought it seemed very directionless in bits. Maybe part of that was because I had no idea what it was about, but I think a good movie shouldn’t rely on the audience having any foreknowledge. Despite this, it was pretty good! It was definitely a new role for Pierce Brosnan, but it was a good fit. What did you all think?
I saw it tonight and really enjoyed it. I’d seen Brosnan on Jon Stewart talking about the movie, so I had a general idea of the concept (“wacky comedy about an aging hitman” was what I went in with).
It made me laugh out loud more than once – my favorite bits were the shark tank and this bit of dialogue:
[spoiler]“Margaritas taste better in Mexico.”
“Yes, margaritas and cock.”[/spoiler]
It didn’t make me stop and think about anything serious, which is great for a January movie (no sunlight and all these depressing-yet-excellent Oscar movies. I always feel one step closer to slitting my wrists when I look at the movie listings in the winter). It was funny, snappy, well-acted on all parts – the timing from everyone was excellent! – and just gritty enough to keep it from being pure fluff.
I loved the sexual ambiguity that ran through the movie, too, that kept me guessing until nearly the end. And I thought the many “twists” that weren’t so much twists as Julian not revealing information were great.
What else? Cinematography and score were notably good. It was just a very enjoyable movie, all around. I don’t go to see many movies, and I’m glad I went to see this one.
My husband and I LOVED THIS! We go to see a LOT of movies and this was thoroughly enjoyable. Though they have nothing in common plot-wise, I can’t wait to get this and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang on DVD and have a black humor double-feature. They just seem like they’d go together very well. I do want to see this in the theater again though. It’s so much nasty fun that I can’t wait for the DVD.
Pierce Brosnan is fantastic, and easily sheds his Bond skin, though this performance wouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to anyone who’s seen The Tailor of Panama. They’re not related in any way, but that character, 20 years later, gone to seed…? Yeah, I can see it.
That is very encouraging because I really enjoyed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I thought it was very clever on first seeing it and it is surprising how often I am reminded of elements of the movie by other things.
Yeah, I actually thought that it would go well with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang after seeing it as well. Pierce Brosnan did the part of a hitman who’s panicking very well. I especially liked his reaction after hearing about the other guy’s child dying:
Julian: So these two Mexicans enter a bar…
Other Guy: What?
Julian: Two Mexicans enter a bar, one is a midget and the other has a 15 inch schlong.
Other Guy: What?
Caught this movie yesterday and LOVED it. The plot drags a little bit - but it’s really character driven. Boy is it character driven.
[spoiler]Anyways, my favorite line was the aforementioned “margaritas and cock” bit. But I also liked it this exchange (paraphrased):
Bean: Fuckity fuck!
Husband: Bean!
Bean: What? If we can’t cuss now, when can we cuss? There’s a fucking assassin in our fucking living room!
heh.[/spoiler]
Saw it on Friday… Loved it.
I didn’t guess the twist at the end…
I thought Kinnear’s character had Julian do the hit for him and that Julian would reveal that he didn’t actually kill the guy but the guy died of natural causes before Julian could kill him.
Heh. “Aren’t we fucking cosmopolitan?”
I thought it was a great movie and Pierce Brosnan’s best performance ever. The whole bit at the bullfight was hysterical.
My favourite part, though, was [spoiler]When buddy appeared at the scene of domestic bliss and the three of them were up until the “wee small hours of the morning.” So many different types of tension, but so much fun.
When the awkwardness of the “wife-swapping” suggestion was diffused with “You don’t have a wife, remember?” I just about peed.[/spoiler]
I’m curious as to how folks interpreted the last scene, though. The person I saw it with didn’t agree with the way I read it – but I think she’s almost exclusively literal-minded. On the other hand I may have a tendency to overanalyze things.[spoiler]Julian left the travel pamphlet for the spot he was headed to on the windshield at the end. Do you think we are meant to think that Danny would seek him out, later?
It seems to me that the last shot communicated that that was the last time they ever saw each other: A careful composition, with Julian in the rear-view mirror of Danny’s car, and Bean and Danny in the background. (Not in the mirror, but in the actual scene.)
There’s only one similarly composed shot in the movie – in the form of the snapshot over Danny and Bean’s bed, which is a peculiar shot of their rear-view mirror reflecting the only glimpse we see of Danny and Bean with their son, as a happy, smiling, intact family.
To me, this seems like a pretty obvious visual metaphor. What appears in the rear-view mirror is receding into the past. Having that image over their bed (when they’re going through a perilous time) is a quiet comment on the state of their relationship.
The last shot recalls that, but this time, we see Julian in the rear-view, walking away. Ahead, we see Danny and Bean embracing. It seems like a marker for the end of a chaotic and uncertain time. All the loose ends are tied up, the marriage is on solid ground again, and that business with the lunatic hitman is now in the realm of nice safe anecdotes.[/spoiler]
Another visual thing that really impressed me about the The Matador was its art design. All those solid fields of vibrant colour. Wow!
Good, self-deprecating performance by Brosnan who I didn’t know could act. I liked the way he allowed his age to show in this movie and the way that he turned the James Bond “ladies man” cliche on its head by portraying Julian’s womanizing as something more desperate and lonely. Julian uses sex as a drug to counter his lonliness and depression. It’s a more realistic take on that sort of behavior.
I also liked the double-twist at the end and really appreciated the the decision which made Julian Danny’s “friend for life” was a moral decision rather than the “favor” the audience was expecting.
I also liked that the movie didn’t actually show many (if any?) of Julian’s hits. It wasn’t about that, it was about the characters.
My favorite line: “I’ll just be the best fucking cocktail story you’ve ever had.”
I thought it was a bit too cutesy (but what hitman movie isn’t? do they all have such hearts of gold?), and much of the soundtrack seemed recycled from other recent dark comedies/action flicks. But Brosnan was great.
I loved this movie. It’s loaded with quotable bits. The design was really stylish, and I liked the soundtrack.
I just saw the movie tonight and enjoyed it. Brosnan great, but I was pretty disappointed with Kinnear. The guy felt like a giant hole in the film. If they’d have had another actor would could have brought more substance to it the film could have been a home run.
Never the less it was very enjoyable just for Brosnan and the few hilarious lines quoted here.
One scene I laughed at was the goofy look that Kinnear got on his face when he and the wife are banging on the washing machine.