Rating of
3/4
Brosnan at his best
goodfellamike - wrote on 10/26/08
Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) is a struggling businessman who is on his last legs, vying for a big business opportunity in Mexico City against strong competition; Julian (Pierce Brosnan) is a hitman, or as he would call it a “facilitator of fatalities” also in Mexico City and also on his last legs. Danny meets Julian in a bar where they forge at first an uneasy friendship that eventually builds to almost a partnership. Eventually, Julian will botch a job and is forced to go on the run from his bosses and finds the only person he can really call “a friend” is Danny. And just maybe, Danny will help him do something that will get him off his own hit list.
The initial concept for The Matador sounds like a formulaic action comedy with the opportunity for some chase scenes, some black humor and perhaps a few shoot-outs; a buddy movie of unlikely sorts. It aspires to be so much more thanks to the performers and the man behind the camera.
The movie is full of good moments, such as a virtuoso scene at a bull fight where Brosnan explains his day-to-day activities as a killer and Kinnear refuses to believe him, challenging him to prove himself. Another thing I particularly liked was how easy the film found some genuine laughter. If seeing Brosnan walking through a hotel lobby in only cowboy boots and a speedo isn’t laugh-worthy, then stay away from this movie. It’s moments like this that surprise as well as energize such an engaging flick.
Brosnan is terrifically cast as Julian; he’s a loner with no home and no friends, a man who uses booze and prostitutes to distract himself from killing people for a living. Rarely has Brosnan been given the opportunity to find deep emotional caverns in his performances, but he gives Julian a sleek, polished and tortured layer that is a far cry from his James Bond empty one-liners and emotionless persona. Kinnear is less successful, although completely convincing as a shnook caught in a relationship that may be dangerous, but probably isn’t. Then there’s Hope Davis as Danny’s loyal high-school sweetheart wife who is trusting and stern and gets right to the point when she meets Julian, asking, “did you bring your gun?” She finds that having a hitman show up unexpected in the middle of the night is a great reason to start using profanity every other word.
The Matador is light, entertaining stuff for those bored by the antics of every other buddy movie these days. It’s fresh, fun and clever in unexpected ways. The Matador is not designed to win any awards or change the world, but it’s a breezy way to spend an hour and a half. FInal Grade: B+
