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Matador
Spain 1986
produced by
Andrés Vincente Gómez (executive) for Companía Iberoamericana, Televisión Espanola (= TVE)
directed by Pedro Almodovar
starring Assumpta Serna, Antonio Banderas, Nacho Martínez, Eva Cobo, Julieta Serrano, Chus Lampreave, Carmen Maura, Eusebio Poncela, Bibiana Fernández (as Bibí Andersen), Luis Ciges, Eva Siva, Verónica Forqué, Pepa Merino, Lola Peno, Marisa Tehjada, Mercedes Jiménez, Francesca Romana
written by Pedro Almodovar, Jesús Ferraro, music by Bernardo Bonezzi
review by
Dale Pierce
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Still controversial after many years since its original release and still
confusing to viewers. Is it a horror story? Is it a black comedy? Is it a
bullfighting film? Hard to tell.
There are of course odd comic elements, some of which went over the heads of
most viewers or were not perceived as funny. For exaple, you don't know what
to think when the opening moments show a bullfighter jacking off, not to porno
scenes, but a video of murders from horror films. Even more absurd is Antonio
Banderas - yes the same super macho hero today - in an early role as a wimpish
aspirant bullfighter who passes out at the sight of blood.
In short, a retired bullfighter forced out of the ring because of a goring,
can no longer kill bulls, so he instead decides to kill women. A lawyer he
encounters, on the other hand, likes to kill bullfighters. These two just have
to hook up and in the end, kill each other in the midst of orgasm. That sums
things up in short order.
The late Nacho Martinez is splendid and creepy as Diego Montes, the retired
matador. One particularly chilling scene comes right before he and the
aforenoted lawyer are going to kill each other. On the way to the location
where they intend to die, he stops and buys flowers from a street vendor.
After paying her a large sum, the vendor offers to read his palm for free and
repay him for his gnerousity. The woman recoils, obviously "seeing"
either his awful past or his equally violent future. The matador simply
shrugs and grins at her, indicating that she has indeed picked up the truth.
Banderas fans will hate this role if they are used to seeing him in he-man
roles such as those earmarking his career since coming to America. His
character is that of a student to Montes, who has no luck with women, fails at
sex, passes out at the slightest scratch and tries but fails miserably to
imitate his mentor. In one of the worst lines ever for Banderas fans, the
Montes character takes him into confidence and then asks if he is gay
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eva Cobo is a particularly hot item in this flick, as the matador's
girlfriend, and brief naked scenes will have the lustfully inclined
begging for more. To show just how creepy her torero lover is, Martinez's
Montes is unable to make love to her unless she lies perfectly still, closes
her eyes and pretends to be dead.
Fans of the bullfight back then were horrified when Matador came out, as they
had expected a movie along the lines of Blood and Sand, Currito De la Cruz
or The Brave Bulls. This was nothing of the kind. In fact, bullfighting
footage is very close to nil. You see a brief clip on video, depicting the
massive goring putting Montes out of action and see him training students at
his bullfighting school, but that is it.
This director also dealt with the bullfight years later in a more
serious, but equally grim film called Talk To Her, where a lady bullfighter is
put into a coma when hit by the flat of a bull's horn, while attempting a
dangerous kneeling pass.
Matador seems to have endured in spite of itself and has even been regarded
recently as a cult classic. Again, it is worth seeing for no other reason than
for the role of Banderas as an utter pussy and for the psychotic performance
of the late Nacho Martinez.
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review © by Dale Pierce
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Robots and rats,
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find Matador at adultvideouniverse.com