Critic Reviews
65
Metascore
Generally Favorable
positive
24(67%)
mixed
11(31%)
negative
1(3%)
Showing 36 Critic Reviews
88
It's a role that essentially demystifies Brosnan's star persona, and in it he is simply sensational, funnier and more persuasively neurotic than even a devoted fan might expect.
88
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.
88
Brosnan redefines "hit man" in the best performance of his career, and Kinnear plays with, and against, his image as a regular kinda guy.
88
A wicked comedy with just the mildest amount of pathos to season the blend.
80
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.
80
We've never seen Pierce Brosnan so liberated - he’s a man reborn, and for what The Matador may lack in rounded plotting, it makes up for in funny, spiky, idiosyncratic glee.
75
There's nothing edgy or groundbreaking about The Matador, but it's funny, touching, and ultimately endearing.
75
Writer-director Richard Shepard gives Brosnan his meatiest role ever, and he digs in with relish.
75
It is no small compliment to Pierce Brosnan to say that his performance in writer-director Richard Shephard's goofy black comedy The Matador could only be rivaled by Christopher Walken.
75
Clad in dull khakis and a polo shirt, the always reliable Kinnear is his (Brosnon's) perfect foil, while Davis' neat turn as a suburban wife with a penchant for guns and the men who use them turns what might have been a cliched supporting role into something worth watching.
