David O'ConnellPierce Brosnan and the Anti-Bond
June 2nd 2008 04:43
Richard Shepard’s 2005 film The Matador is not only one of the most entertaining films of its year but a classic example of casting-against-type working to utter perfection. Pierce Brosnan as its star manages to successfully shake off every facet of the James Bond persona which has clung to him like a potential death knell of typecasting for future years. He produces a brilliant comic turn as a sleazy but sympathetic, burnt-out hitman who lives a carefree, amoral existence, sleeping with anything that moves, but now suddenly finding himself the target of a potential assassin’s bullet!
Brosnan is Julian Noble, a hired ‘eliminator’ who was obviously once at the pinnacle of his profession and highly sought after whilst traveling the world to fulfill his latest contracts for arranger/employer Mr. Randy (Philip Baker Hall). However when we meet him, circumstances have changed somewhat - he’s become a jaded man who no longer derives the same level of satisfaction from his work. Even worse is that he’s becoming a bit lackadaisical and sloppy on the job. He’s also drinking too much which isn’t helping matters.
Julian is in Mexico City on another mission, killing time in a lonely bar at his hotel when he runs into American businessman Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) who’s been enduring a run of bad luck of his own recently. He’s hoping that a deal which he’s come to Mexico to broker will turn things around for him. Julian ends up insulting him after Danny opens up about a personal matter but the next day they connect up again and soon an unlikely friendship is born.
One of the most memorable and amusing scenes in the film is when, at a bullfight, Julian decides it’s time to give in to Danny’s constant badgering about the specific nature of his occupation, referring to himself as a ‘facilitator of fatalities’ amongst other things! Of course Danny doesn’t believe a word of it, so Julian decides to give him a ‘run through’ of the sort of procedure he might follow once a target is pinpointed, randomly picking a guy from the crowd. It’s an incredibly tense, and yet at the same time, hilarious moment when they stalk the guy and follow him into a toilet to do the ‘job’! The two part ways soon enough in Mexico however after Julian – to the shock of his new friend - asks Danny’s help in performing his next hit.
The film then jumps forward six months and Danny, living his normal life back in the States with his wife Carolyn (Hope Davis) hears a knock on the door one night, only to discover it’s Julian, now on the run after a further string of slip-ups, his employer deciding that he’s become too much of a liability and, because of what he knows, needs to be taken out.
There are some interesting twists in the tense third act of the film, including a great reveal late in the proceedings which fully explains what happened after their time in Mexico seemingly ended, putting the second half of the film in a new perspective.
I’ve never been a great fan of Brosnan's films as Bond but generally liked his other work, and The Matador is a perfect example of the range he has when the slick one-liners are transformed into wittier, raunchier and much funnier ones. It’s hard to dislike Julian Noble despite what he does for a living. You might never suspect or understand his motives but he’d make for a very entertaining house guest!
Shepard’s film, which he also scripted, is a winner from beginning to end, a wonderfully irreverent black comedy-drama anchored by two great performances from Brosnan and Kinnear - Brosnan casting aside every last vestige of 007 with this hilarious, debauched creation, and Kinnear - as he is in so many films - the perfect second string and foil for his more famous co-star.
Brosnan is Julian Noble, a hired ‘eliminator’ who was obviously once at the pinnacle of his profession and highly sought after whilst traveling the world to fulfill his latest contracts for arranger/employer Mr. Randy (Philip Baker Hall). However when we meet him, circumstances have changed somewhat - he’s become a jaded man who no longer derives the same level of satisfaction from his work. Even worse is that he’s becoming a bit lackadaisical and sloppy on the job. He’s also drinking too much which isn’t helping matters.
Julian is in Mexico City on another mission, killing time in a lonely bar at his hotel when he runs into American businessman Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) who’s been enduring a run of bad luck of his own recently. He’s hoping that a deal which he’s come to Mexico to broker will turn things around for him. Julian ends up insulting him after Danny opens up about a personal matter but the next day they connect up again and soon an unlikely friendship is born.
One of the most memorable and amusing scenes in the film is when, at a bullfight, Julian decides it’s time to give in to Danny’s constant badgering about the specific nature of his occupation, referring to himself as a ‘facilitator of fatalities’ amongst other things! Of course Danny doesn’t believe a word of it, so Julian decides to give him a ‘run through’ of the sort of procedure he might follow once a target is pinpointed, randomly picking a guy from the crowd. It’s an incredibly tense, and yet at the same time, hilarious moment when they stalk the guy and follow him into a toilet to do the ‘job’! The two part ways soon enough in Mexico however after Julian – to the shock of his new friend - asks Danny’s help in performing his next hit.
The film then jumps forward six months and Danny, living his normal life back in the States with his wife Carolyn (Hope Davis) hears a knock on the door one night, only to discover it’s Julian, now on the run after a further string of slip-ups, his employer deciding that he’s become too much of a liability and, because of what he knows, needs to be taken out.
There are some interesting twists in the tense third act of the film, including a great reveal late in the proceedings which fully explains what happened after their time in Mexico seemingly ended, putting the second half of the film in a new perspective.
First meeting between Julian and Danny
I’ve never been a great fan of Brosnan's films as Bond but generally liked his other work, and The Matador is a perfect example of the range he has when the slick one-liners are transformed into wittier, raunchier and much funnier ones. It’s hard to dislike Julian Noble despite what he does for a living. You might never suspect or understand his motives but he’d make for a very entertaining house guest!
Shepard’s film, which he also scripted, is a winner from beginning to end, a wonderfully irreverent black comedy-drama anchored by two great performances from Brosnan and Kinnear - Brosnan casting aside every last vestige of 007 with this hilarious, debauched creation, and Kinnear - as he is in so many films - the perfect second string and foil for his more famous co-star.
The 'run-through' begins!
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Comment by The wonderful Peter Yang
The wonderful Peter Yang's No.1 blog
Kind of rack his style amount us guys, as for girls...I have no idea.