Review of The Matador (2005) by Jeremy H — 24 Mar 2009

"I didn't mean to weird you out. I was wrong, please. I just get paranoid sometimes. I'm drunk. I'm tired, and I've just been fornicating for the past two hours, and before that I was doing shit - horrible business shit".

Pierce Brosnan plays Julian Noble a contract killer in The Matador and he says the above upon his first encounter with troubled Danny Wright, played by Greg Kinnear. It kind of sets the twisted tone for the rest of the film.

The story seems classic - a killer who is good at his job suddenly has confidence problems and becomes friends with a nice guy who learns who he really is - but is well acted with special honours going towards Brosnan who is really trying to get rid of the James Bond shadow here. Playing an alcoholic and weird loner with an interest in sex and bull fights, Brosnan not only has the John Cleese-like moustache, but has some terrific lines. I fetched a few on the Imdb, which caught by attention:

"I look like a Bangkok hooker on a Sunday morning, after the navy's left town".

"A Vietnamese girl I once knew had her legs so locked together I couldn't get a whiff of her spring roll. Two drinks, half a quaalude later, I was at an all you can eat buffet. Every lock can be broken. It's just a matter of will and whether it's worth it".

Having said that, Brosnan and Kinnear, along with the dialogue and a few funny scenes, are what makes the film interesting. Personally, I thought the script could have been worked on more and could have been given some extra dimension. As soon as Noble realises that he is no longer a reliable killer, he seeks aid from Wright and becomes a little too transparent and turns from a mystery man to a total loser. I would have enjoyed a more mysterious finish keeping me on my toes. But then again, Noble isn't exactly your Jackal and the film is a comedy after all.

I also liked the energy emanating from the film. Its pace is quick and follows Brosnan across the world and slows down for the crucials scenes which usually include Kinnear, as if two different lifestyles were shown at two different speeds. It is a fresh take on the genre and I suppose benefits from its simplicity.