The Matador (2005)Movie Reviews

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Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 88
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Pierce Brosnan is the anti-Bond in The Matador. And though he's anything but suave, sophisticated or debonair, he's a joy to behold. Read full review

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Brosnan redefines "hit man" in the best performance of his career, and Kinnear plays with, and against, his image as a regular kinda guy. Read full review

  • 80
    Los Angeles Times | Kevin Thomas

    In The Matador, a delightfully sly diversion, Pierce Brosnan breaks the mold and turns in what might be considered the performance of his career, the kind of witty, relaxed star portrayal that recalls those of Cary Grant and other Golden Era legends. Read full review

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Writer-director Richard Shepard gives Brosnan his meatiest role ever, and he digs in with relish. Read full review

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    The cinematography is consistently hipster handsome, the script is bracing in its lewdness, and Brosnan adds no unnecessary weight to Noble's meaninglessness. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    The Matador gets a 151-proof tequila shot of sharp comedy from the droll byplay between Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Joe Leydon

    Deftly maneuvering through audacious mood swings and tonal shifts, The Matador emerges as a quirky yet commercial commingling of black comedy, seriocomic psychodrama, heart-tugging sudser and buddy-movie farce. Read full review

  • 60
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    At first blush, there's something vicariously liberating about Brosnan strutting through a lobby dressed only in Speedos and cowboy boots. But it also feels false. The actor seems to be theatrically slumming before his return to suave form. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    Strives for an airy, merry amorality, but it never quite achieves liftoff, though at times it comes close. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | Stephen Holden

    Because The Matador sustains a tone of screwball insouciance and keeps its trump card hidden up its sleeve, it must be counted as a well-made comic thriller. That doesn't mean it has any depth, credibility or artistic value beyond its capacity to divert. Read full review

The Matador (2005) Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

So-so 106 fan reviews

Critics say

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