The Matador

The Matador (Director: Richard Shepard)














Shepard hasn't done anything in which you've probably heard. He also wrote the screenplay.

The now ex-James Bond Pierce Brosnan has sort of, almost secretly, had a whole different career that he's thrived in since 2000's The Thomas Crown Affair: playing the good-natured bad guy. The alter-ego suits him well, even though it hasn't exactly been box office gold. But it has at least carved a niche for him and the movies are always somewhat fun. Hell, even After the Sunset had moments.

Brosnan plays Julian Noble, a long-time hitman who has begun to get burned out of the whole thing. His latest errors have started to concern his handler Mr. Randy (Philip Baker Hall), who works for a criminal corporate type known as Mr. Stick, and it seems that his own life might be in danger if he continues his shaky performance. During a job in Mexico City, Noble runs into businessman Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear), and they start a shaky friendship. Noble's bad social graces, coupled with the revelation of what he does, makes the more conservative Wright uneasy, finally to the point that the friendship pretty much ends before it starts. Six months later, Noble shows up on Danny and wife Carolyn's (Hope Davis) doorstep. I won't go further.

This is a just plain fun movie. It's funny--thanks to a very good job from writer/director Shepard and all three leads. Brosnan, Kinnear, and Davis are all extremely likeable. And once again, a movie makes a good choice by not introducing a bunch of pop-entertainment hijinks. If this were a major studio film, Hope Davis's character would be an inconsolable, maniacal wife ready to divorce her husband if he doesn't take charge and kick the assassin out of the house. In the indie world, a much more interesting and funnier choice is made with her character. You can also fill in the blanks as to how Brosnan and Kinnear would have acted if this were a movie made by one of the big boys.

A great companion piece to Grosse Pointe Blank.