The Matador

The epic tale of David Fandila's quest to become the world's top-ranked bullfighter.

“But it’s the weight of the bulls (often 1,300 pounds or more) that dominates the film’s breathtaking, superbly edited fight sequences. Frantically pivoting mere inches from heaving muscle, laying a hand between monstrous horns — like a man halting an express train by sheer will — Mr. Fandila is a magnificent lunatic. Yet as he rears back, spine curved like a bow and arms raised to plunge the banderillas, the line between man and bull, reason and instinct, is obliterated. Stripping away centuries of civilization, “The Matador” confronts something primal in human nature, daring us to do the same.” (Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times)