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Pierce Brosnan couldn’t be less like James Bond in this quirky little comedy about an unlikely friendship. Brosnan plays Julian Noble, who’s more like James Bond’s screw-up little brother. A far cry from Brosnan’s typical sophisticated, well-groomed character, Julian is scruffy and unrefined. He’s rude and insensitive. He’s almost always drunk and disorderly. And he has no problem with painting his toenails purple—or walking through a hotel lobby in nothing but a Speedo and boots. He’s openly cornball—and he’s a little bit creepy (in that Crazy Tom Cruise kind of way). A freelance assassin by trade (or, as his boss likes to call him, a “facilitator of fatalities”), Julian has no home and no friends. He travels wherever the jobs are, and the only people with whom he generally comes into contact are hookers and soon-to-be-dead businessmen.
While working a job in Mexico City, Julian meets Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear), a struggling businessman from Denver who’s in town trying to close a deal. Danny couldn’t be less like Julian. He’s straight-laced and fidgety. He’s happily married, and he’s extremely sensitive. Yet Julian and Danny somehow manage to become friends along the way. Then, after a few days of Margaritas and bullfights in Mexico City, they go their separate ways.
But that, of course, isn’t the end of their story. After a couple of decades in the business, Julian’s starting to fall apart. He’s letting his jobs slip—and his clients have had enough. When a client in Budapest puts a price on his head, Julian runs to the only place he can—Danny’s house.
The Matador is an unusual and highly original film that’s sure to take you by surprise. It’s hard to know what to expect from this movie—because it defies categorization. It’s outrageously funny, and it’s dramatic; it’s fast-paced, and it’s mellow. And it’s enhanced by sets that are as vibrant and colorful as Brosnan’s character.
The bizarre relationship between Julian and Danny is played especially well—but Brosnan steals the show. His performance as Julian is larger than life. And despite the fact that Julian is seriously lacking in general people skills, Brosnan still manages to make him lovable. If you’ve ever doubted Brosnan’s ability to play anything but suave, witty characters—like Bond or Thomas Crown—you’ll be stunned by Brosnan as Julian Noble. Even if the story weren’t interesting (which it is), The Matador would be worth seeing—just for his role in it.
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