Matador, The

Aroview: Stirring and dramatic portrait of matador David 'El Fandi' Fandila and his quest to become the top-ranked bullfighter in the world.

Focusing less on any rigorous questioning of this morally dubious cultural tradition, the film chooses instead to explore Fandila's three year journey to the top, which is fraught with all the setbacks, sacrifices and family tensions that typically characterise the life of any die-hard sports champion. Fandila emerges as a pompous and rather self-centered figure, attributes which are perhaps to be expected from a man whose life revolves around the barbaric romance of ritualised animal slaughter. Most impressive, however, are the thrilling and well edited bullfight sequences, and Fandila's glorious magenta and crimson costume, its refinery suggestive of the elegance and splendor of this time-honoured tradition.