Organnall Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Jerrie It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Armand nice costumes, great cast. and a lot of crumbs. the sin of film is the lost of story. nothing coherent, few poetic images, many good intentions and a fake result - too pink, too kitsch, too unrealistic. the solutions are many for save the story. but the great problem is the absence of a clear project. it is a film about corrida and a legendary matador, about love and infidelity, about the vulnerability of a hero but nothing profound - only a large collection of sketches without a real purpose. for Adrien Brody and Penelope Cruz the film is only occasion for another role. but that is the basic problem. why that actors for a confuse project ?a film like many others. not bad. only uninspired.

leplatypus I'm not really into Spain or bullfighting. So if this this movie just appealed at first for the dynamic Penélope, finally, it totally hooks me. The first great thing is the talent of Adrian Brody. It's true as Pené said that he the most beautiful ugly man but he exudes such humanity that he is also the most underrated actor! Here, he is totally convincing as a legendary sportsman and shy boyfriend.Next, the director (a newcomer for me) is talented as well: he has a great "eye" and offers totally stunning and poetic visuals: I like how he plays with Spain flag, with the washing as the red cape for the bull. He does the same parallel with love and bullfight. At the end, the use of revolving doors enhances a lot the drama. His cinematography is vivid, full of colors and we can really appreciate the Spanish culture (thus, I realized that it keeps its Arabic history as well).At last, the two big themes (passion, bullfight) are depicted like a mystic experience. It's not just a simple romance but a burning love and bullfight is beyond sport, it's a tradition. So, as our two lovers are passionate but also defective, the movie heads full speed at a tragedy and the editing is totally right as it ticks like a clock, balancing with the past and present.It's true that my French DVD is only 88 minutes and the movie is dynamic without time-out. In conclusion, it's a superb surprise and I urge even the anti bullfight to watch it because it's not a absurd slaughter!

jotix100 Something happened with this film on its way to the screen. For a big budget picture, the biopic about Manolete, one of Spain's most renown, and charismatic bullfighters, it does not have the spark it needed to ignite its action. The man at the center of the story and the temptress that was the love of his life, are seen in flashbacks as Manolete goes to his final appearance in the bullring. The basic problem of "Manolete" is the casting of Adrian Brody, an actor that usually gives good performances, but in this film, he appears wooden and devoid of life, for a man that faced death with each new bullfight he entered. The figure of the larger than life matador does not come across, the way director Menno Meyjes decided to give the picture. In contrast, Penelope Cruz, playing Lupe, Manolete's mistress, counteracts by playing her with the fire that her character is supposed to have. There is no chemistry between Mr. Brody and Ms. Cruz. The supporting cast is basically an after thought, especially a static Santiago Segura and Juan Echenove.See it at your own risk.

lgarcia-meredith Remembered as one of the world's greatest matadors, I thought that there might be some clues into this person, or into what might draw someone to the controversial world of the bullring. Instead the story made Manolete out to be a love-sick puppy, somewhat clueless, and focused entirely on dying. (Don't know if this is really a spoiler, since the film begins with his funeral.) The cinematography is beautiful. The acting itself is good, and Adrian Brody is a scary dead-ringer, so to speak, for the man himself. Penelope Cruz is also good as the passionate temptress. Hollywood, of course, has to focus entirely on the woman's figure, and the turbulent romance, at the exclusion of all else that probably made up what was a fascinating life. I wouldn't watch it again.