Customer Reviews

Matador

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

...."Matador" goes places that the typical Hollywood fare will never go.

Let's see "Matador" in DVD. Let's see if I could titulate you with my interpretation of the story.

Diego is a matador unable to get back into the ring after having been impaled by a bull. He, therefore, is reduced to teaching the arts of bullfighting to younger folks...including a fan, Angel, (Banderas) who is a little twisted. See, he can't stand the sight of blood...like what's produced from a successful bullfight.... His Ma may have ruined him for life and he has these intense visions/dreams of reported murders thru-out the city. He figures he must be the murderer. But he is not. Still, he confesses and turns himself in. His story line is one of several here...

Meanwhile, we find out that the lawyer assigned to Angel, Maria, (Serna) has a penchant for death and eros....she is like what you'd imagine a black widow would be. And, in the height of passion, the stickpen.

But see, Diego also is a little twisted. "To stop killing is to stop living", he says, and he has his own passion and murder psychosis going. As with Maria, Diego searches out for the ultimate sensual experience and he goes through young women as if he's objectified them like he has bulls during a bullfight....but...!

Maria meets Diego. And it is like they have been there before and they realise what each has done and it just is as it is and what must be done must be done...it's like Peck and Jones in that "Duel in the Sun" moovy they end up both being hypnotised by.

And the ultimate love, the ultimate sensuality, is the unquestioning willingness to die for another. To me it is why "Matador" in all it's perversity and darkness, turns out to be an unforgettable and beautiful film. What will you give to have love and passion like that...?

Now, I gave you the thumbnail sketch of the story to get you to see when you see the moovy, no one can quite capture the true essence of an Almodovar. You really have to experience his films. Thru out "Matador" (as well as many in his great catalog) there are images and insinuations, symbolism and absurdities that are going to stick with you loooong after you've viewed the film. The cinematography is stupendous, the mood just takes you. Initially, there is a disconnected feel, but it speeds up and there are scenes and edits you're going to rewind to and since it is subtitled in Spanish--unless you speak the language--you find yourself rewinding trying to catch the dialog, as not to miss something. This is reminescent of the Sharon Stone/Micheal Douglas piece, and of Cronenberg's rendition of "Crash." Also the absurdity reminds me of whenever "The Sopranos" go for that dark and funny thing...

Try an Almodovar this weekend...

Almodovar meets DePalma in this dark thriller with less `jokes' than most of his films, though black humor pervades the whole thing. All the characters are obsessed with death; a murderess who kills during sex, a teacher of matadors who lives to kill, and masturbates to snuff films, and a student who wishes he could kill but faints at the sight of blood. Some of the twists are silly, obvious and/or cop-outs, and the characters never feel `real', but there are some great, operatic disturbing and funny moments as well. Sort of a thinking person's, surrealist `Fatal Attraction'. Some of it is clunky, but the film sticks with me. Very good performances all around. Most major critics I respect liked it even more than me, and I'll probably re-visit it down the line. It seems like the kind of film that could easily grow on a second viewing -- its flaws more forgivable, its strengths more powerful.

This may very well be one of the most brilliant, if not unsettling Almodovar films I've ever seen. Here we have Almodovar's statement or tribute to guilt, sex, & death which may prove to be very gratifying to those who appreciate very dark comedy. Others may quickly find themselves literally out of their element when watching this bizarre masterpiece.

Note: Newcomers to Almodovar's work may want to try something a bit more tame such as Volver, All About My Mother, or Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown unless you are a complete cinema daredevil. If that be the case, have at it! Come join the party!

Where do we begin? There are scenes are bloody bullfights, attempted rape, & serial killings laced with wicked humor sporadically throughout the entire film. In fact, the opening scene of the film is quite a shocker which depicts either a snuff film or an extreme horror film that may put off potential viewers. Sounds interesting, right?

Matador basically involves two serial killers in completely different occupations who essentially kill just for the fun of it. In the midst of this craziness, we have a young man who secretly desires to be a bullfighter but strangely faints at the site of blood. Trust me, things get even zanier when the two serial killers meet atlast & the ending is anything but what you'd expect.

Again, not a film for everyone but it's definitely one of the lesser known Almodovar films worth checking out.

I had thought that Almodovar's first film was "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", but "Matador" was made 2 years previously and it is my impression that it is Almodovar's first mainstream film. "Matador" could be labeled a dark or black comedy, but it is also a study of sex, danger and death--something, as one of the characters relates, that everyone has in common. And the bullfighting context and images enhance the main theme of the film. "Matador" could easily be labeled as "sick" or "disgusting" by the squeamish and/or morally superior. As usual, whenever sexuality is explored in European films, the subject of the perverse, as a natural component of sexuality, is handled more rationally than it is in -IE- the USA. For example (1) one of the characters uses scenes of women, being horrifically murdered in slasher films, as pornography; (2) at the beginning of the film, a young woman is sexually assaulted, and the attacker has a knife; however, the "rapist" (a very young Antonio Banderas) is so obviously confused--as well as tormented by his overly strict and pious mother--that he somehow can't be taken seriously. And the girl finds no need to report her attacker for "rape"--she even discusses the situation with her mother in front of the detective at the police station, which in this case adds to the hilarity; (3) most importantly, as is shown by the actions of two of the protagonist/antagonists in "Matador"--there are actually people in this world who are willing to die for sex. Risk being the ultimate turn on--IE bullfighting is an "extreme sport"--where risk equals reward. Some people choose to burn the candle at both ends--their lives may be shorter, but also more intense. I think it was very brave of Almodovar to explore this theme in 1986, at a time when hysterical fear surrounding the AIDS crisis was widespread. And the subtext of "Matador" is more profound than the subsequent, slapstick "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown". In any case--Almodovar is unquestionably a maestro who has improved and matured over time--I also recommend "Talk to Her" and "Volver", both of which I consider to be masterpieces.

Stephen C. Bird, author of "Hideous Exuberance: A Satire"

This is a brilliant, if unsettling movie. On its surface, it revels in various sorts of violence, including attempted rape, bullfights gone bloody, and serial killings, real or imagined. Beneath the flashy surface, though, Almodovar has a serious aim. He's examining the effects on his contemporary Spanish characters of a religion that was frequently rigidified into pharisaism and a code of manly behavior often reduced to mere "machismo" during the immediately preceding reign of Franco. What he presents us with in the film is a set of characters malignly influenced by such cultural baggage. Though seriously disturbed, they are at the same time both moving and unwittingly comic. Diego, the gored bullfighter and Maria, the lawyer, both buy heavily into the "machismo" code and wind up confounding a delight in eros with a monstrous one involving death. At the center of the action, and perhaps the most disturbed by his culture's warped expectations is Angel (Antonio Banderas), who oscillates between a mother whose religion is stiflingly conceived and his own, hidden reverence for bullfighting. He is himself just an inexperienced youth furiously seeking possible paths to manhood. Like a child, he endearingly faints at the mere sight of blood. For this reason, he has to constantly reassure the curious around him, who themselves are suffering from a "machismo" cultural lag, that he is not in fact gay. No other explanation, after all, would fit their too narrow conception of manhood.

One of the most brilliant and erotic thrillers ever made. Almodovar is a master at his craft and continues to show us how good masterful film making can be. He takes us on a journey and eroticizes death in a very subtle and skillful way, so that even the most conservative person can understand the psyches of the main characters. Highly recommended!

This was the first Almodovar film I'd ever seen, and it's made me a lifelong fan of his. Lately he's become a bit too serious, overreaching and melodramatic---"Bad Education" was especially disappointing---in contrast to the fascinating, gorgeous and hilarious black comedy and absurdism of masterpieces like "Matador," "Tie Me Up Tie Me Down" and "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown." It's the difference between reading Charles Bukowski at his best versus reading some pompous "The New Yorker" column.

Unfortunately this film is extremely difficult to find nowadays, but it would totally be worth owning and seeing over and over again. Every frame is beautiful, and the characters are all strangely interesting in their own fetching absurd ways. The cast is perfectly chosen and directed, and the young pre-Hollywood Antonio Banderas is truly a pleasure to watch, his earnest absurdity has an inherent comic genius similar to that of Dustin Hoffman in "The Graduate"...you laugh your @ss off at him all the time but at the same time find it impossible not to like and identify with him. The characters like the film have an exhilaratingly fresh, devil may care energy and abandon that is simply irresistible.

Granted, if you are a rigidly conventional, straight-laced person you'll probably find Almodovar's early work very hard to swallow. The rest of us will likely find it far superior to his current day output.

I was waiting for a long time to have this one on DVD. I saw it a while ago and (my opinion) it's one of the best Almodovar movies. But I warn you, this one is very weird and does not compare to recent ones like "Talk to her" or "Bad Education". It feels more like a good "giallo". It's a must see.

I pity anyone who cannot appreciate the brilliance of this film. It is a fascinating portrayal of the dark, animalistic side of human nature, and the cinematography is no less than spectacular.

Matador is a brilliant, original, funny film about sex and guilt and death. The plot is complex and a bit bizarre, but the acting is extraordinarily good. You quickly come to care deeply about the protagonist, Angel (played by Banderas) whose deep-seated sense of guilt (caused by his ultra-religious mother) is accentuated by his ESP -- which leads him to "see" and "hear" every murder committed in Madrid. There is much, much more to this movie. I recommend it to anyone (over 18!).