7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When a traveling salesman, Danny Wright, accidentally meets up with Julian Noble, a hit man, at a Mexico City bar, their subsequent evening together intertwines their lives in an unexpected, but lasting bond.
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Hope Davis, Adam Scott, Roberto Sosa (I)Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Is Pierce Brosnan the new Cary Grant? Like Grant, Brosnan has too good to be true looks, a suave demeanor and an often unflappable persona. But there has also been, like Grant, an aura of the not quite real about the actor. One of my favorite quotes about Grant ostensibly came from Frances Farmer, in her supposed autobiography (it was mostly ghostwritten after her death, though this particular quote has the ring of the real Farmer about it), where, in remembering working with the actor in The Toast of New York, she said he was “Cary Grant playing Cary Grant playing Cary Grant.” In fact, that plastic veneer was varnished over Grant throughout most of his screen career, even in his most appealing performances, with a couple of notable exceptions. In None but the Lonely Heart (interestingly, written and directed by Farmer’s former lover Clifford Odets) and, much later, Charade (as well as to a certain extent Father Goose), Grant let his actorly hair down a little bit and let us peer into the real person hidden underneath the dashing good looks and impeccable diction. If the early phase of Brosnan’s career was notably Grant-like, it’s to the actor’s credit that post-Bond especially he’s shown greater and greater range, caring less and less about his dashing good looks and impeccable diction. In one surprising portrayal after another, Brosnan has proven himself equally adept at drama and comedy, and he’s lost some of the patently plastic aspects that colored everything from Remington Steel to his days as 007. Somewhat lost in this later career wash of excellent work was the 2006 film The Matador, a peculiar little outing that has all the makings of a cult item but which has yet to really find its niche audience. Perhaps this new Blu-ray can help ameliorate that problem, because there’s a lot to like in this idiosyncratic piece, not the least of which is Brosnan’s take on an aging and questioning professional assassin who is caught in the midst of a mid-life crisis.
For the most part, The Matador looks sharp as a picador's lance on this AVC encoded 1080p Blu-ray in 2.35:1. Colors are incredibly vivid and brilliantly saturated, and fine detail is excellent throughout the film. Shepard supposedly utilizes a lot of different locales (some with brief establishing shots), but in actuality the film was shot mostly in Mexico City, which stands in for various world locations. This is an exceptionally brightly colored film, with one of the most variegated palettes in recent memory, and the Blu-ray reproduces that spectrum effortlessly. The only problem with this video presentation is some brief aliasing and some momentary shimmer which crops up on various geometric patterns. You'll notice it most especially on the horizontal patterns in the racetrack during the film's climax. Otherwise, this is a sparklingly effective hi-def presentation that provides a surprising wealth of visual information to enjoy.
There is a moment in the opening scenes of The Matador which will throw most audiophiles for a complete jolting loop, in a good way. I won't spoil it for you, other than to say it's probably the showiest moment that The Matador's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (not Dolby TrueHD 5.1 as the insert states) mix provides in the way of LFE, but the good news is, this is a very well realized mix that has an abundance of immersive detail in matters both large and small. From the confines of the Mexico City lobby and bar, we hear conversations and ambient noises spill in from the surrounds. In the bullfighting sequence, that immersion becomes even more noticeable with both crowd noises and the actual bullfight zinging through the soundfield. Dialogue is always crisp and clear and both the underscore and source cues are very well mixed into the proceedings. The Matador isn't always as bombastic as the moment alluded to above, but it provides great depth and nuance throughout the film, with spot on fidelity and excellent dynamic range.
I personally would have loved some more in-depth supplements for this peculiar little film, but what's here is fine as far as it goes:
If you're like I am, you crave something unexpected, and you'll get that in spades in The Matador. While there are a few predictable beats along the way, they're very few and far between, and this film presents one of the unlikeliest odd couples ever in the duo of Brosnan and Kinnear. Funny, sad, disturbing and just plain out there, The Matador is Highly Recommended.
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