Matador 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Matador 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 9, 2026

In a supplement included on this release, José Arroyo kind of humorously recounts how he was upbraiding a so-called Art House cinema owner whom Arroyo felt only featured French and Italian films, only to be "educated" by the owner that the only secure box office receipts the owner could count on were for screenings of films by Pedro Almodóvar. That might actually be a bit of a surprise for some, but in that regard it may be arguable that those eager ticket buyers became widely aware of Almodóvar circa 1988 - 1989 courtesy of such films as Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and/or Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!. Both of those film titles could actually be somewhat apt descriptors in a way for Almodóvar's earlier effort Matador, since a focal character could arguably be seen as a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and some of the frankly provocative sexual content gets into (severe) dominance issues that may be alluded to by the 1989 film's name. This is a dense, complex work that is not an "easy" watch on any number of levels, and it may in fact come close to shocking some who are more acquainted with what might be called Almodóvar's lighter, breezier qualities.

Sigmund Freud asserted a still controversial thesis that two "warring" impulses or instincts helped define the psyche of man. Those two were, in Freud's formulation, Eros, basically a desire for life, and Thanatos, a death drive. Armchair investigators could probably go down a very lengthy and serious rabbit hole in terms of reading Freud's writings on how these two conflicting senses operate (often in tandem), and then seeing Matador through a Freudian lens. Now there is probably a doctoral thesis waiting to be written (if it hasn't already) about some other kinds of tethers between the works of Freud and Almodóvar, but in terms of Matador, there is a riveting if undeniably disturbing depiction of what might generally be called Eros and Thanatos duking it out, all within the ostensible context of bullfighting.

The film begins with just the first of several overtly transgressive sequences, as former bullfighter Diego Montes (Nacho Martínez) pleasures himself while watching slasher films on television. Aside from any other (Freudian or other) analysis this opening may engender, it may immediately remind some of the whole "voyeur" aspect linking violence to sexuality in Peeping Tom, and in fact as can be seen in the fifth screenshot I've uploaded to accompany this review, that film's title could also be an apt descriptor for at least some vignettes in this enterprise. One way or the other, Diego's behavior is only the tip of a rather profound iceberg in terms of dysfunction and obsession. Two other characters, Maria (Assumpta Serna), and Ángel (Antonio Banderas), also deal with various peccadilloes (to say the least), and are introduced very early on, with a rather surprising "reveal" with regard to Maria (in terms of not keeping a major plot point a secret), and with information showing Ángel as a repressed young man studying bullfighting with Diego.

Without posting spoilers, suffice it to say that Maria has been an obsessive fan of Diego's since his unfortunate interaction with a bull led to the end of his official matador career. This obsession plays out in the film in what might be called a Bava-esque way (and that's not a random comparison, since like some of Almodóvar's other films, this one has overt usages of footage from some classics, including in this case not just Blood and Black Lace but even more prominently Duel in the Sun). Maria ends up being a link of sorts between Diego and Ángel after bad behavior (again, to say the least) on the part of Ángel gets him in (brief) trouble, which Ángel then exacerbates by confessing to a series of murders he didn't commit. It turns out Maria is an attorney, and she handles Ángel's case, but Ángel seems to be experiencing visions of a serial killer's handiwork, and as William Butler Yeats might say, the center will not hold, leading to a calamitous third act for all three of these characters.

Matador 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package. As of the writing of this review, it doesn't look like Radiance is offering a standalone 1080 release.

Matador is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Radiance Films with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. This release also includes an AVC encoded 1080p presentation. This appears to be the first 4K presentation of the film (our database shows an apparently cancelled release from Umbrella), though there are evidently some prior 1080 releases in various regions. Radiance only sent check discs for purposes of this review and so I'm not privy to any transfer information contained in an insert booklet, but the actual feature begins with a prefatory text card offering this:

This restored version has been produced in June 2025 by Cherry Towers Laboratory (Madrid) from the 4K scanned original negative and supervised by Agustin Almodóvar,.

This 4K transfer also reportedly comes with the blessing of Pedro Almodóvar himself, but some may be surprised that the 4K presentation is in SDR. That was apparently a conscious decision by the Almodóvar team, though that may not satisfy some ardent videophiles. Even without HDR Matador can be an eye popping experience, especially with regard to reds in particular, though I have to say I personally did not notice a huge jump in suffusion when stacking up Radiance's nice looking 1080 release against the 4K presentation. The 4K version offers some noticeable if subtle improvements in fine detail on things like some of the natty outfits worn by various characters, and those improvements can even pervade to some admittedly minor things like patterns on background set walls and the like. Grain is tightly resolved throughout. Some very tiny blemishes have made it through the restoration gauntlet.

Matador 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Matador features a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix in the original Spanish. An enjoyable diverse score by Bernardo Bonezzi helps to support the somewhat anarchic ambience of the tale, and a lot of the outdoor material in particular can have at least dottings of background ambient environmental sounds. Both dialogue and voiceover are presented cleanly and clearly, with an especially nice sounding midrange. Optional English subtitles are available.

Matador 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: The 4K UHD disc in this package sports no supplements. The following bonus items are on the included 1080 disc:

• José Arroyo (HD; 29:37) offers a fun and even funny discussion of the film and Almodovar.


• Jonathan Ross - For One Week Only: Pedro Almodovar (HD; 53:27) is a fascinating 1991 television documentary with Ross interviewing Almodovar among several others.

As mentioned above, Radiance only sent check discs for purposes of this review, but their website mentions their typical assortment of packaging accoutrements.

Matador 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's probably unwise to think of Matador as a "comedy", but there is a pitch black sense of scathing humor running through this piece that makes it clear Almodóvar is delighting in skewering all sorts of supposed Spanish sacred cows. Even for those acquainted with some of Almodóvar's later, arguably more popular, properties, this is going to be a bracing viewing experience, so buckle up. While the 4K release may be faulted for not having HDR, that evidently comes with imprimatur of Almodóvar himself, so who are we mere mortals to argue? Otherwise, technical merits are solid and the two supplements appealing. Recommended.