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The Matador review
2006.02.20 — Entertainment | Movies | Movie Reviews | by Andrew Cole
The Matador. [official site] |
In The Matador, Pierce Brosnan plays an international assassin, a loner who drinks hard and beds the ladies and never looks back. The interesting thing is that he's nothing—nothing—like James Bond. First of all, he's a bit of a doofus, frequently saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Second, he's depressed as hell and doesn't have anyone to help him work thru it. Until, that is, he comes across Greg Kinnear—mild-mannered, simple family man Greg Kinnear.
Kinnear is a businessman with his own problems. His business is in trouble, his finances are in a tailspin, and his loving faimily life is suspiciously bereft of children. The two meet in Mexico over a drink and start off on the wrong foot, but Brosnan is the needier of the two and soon makes amends.
When he learns about Brosnan's line of work, Kinnear has some very difficult scenes to play: disbelieving, gullible, intrigued, wary, conspiratorial. In my opinion, he doesn't quite pull them off completely, but it's a good try.
This is not a buddy movie, tho. The two go their separate ways after a laugh and a falling out over the sort of thing that hired killers have fallings out over, but the show's not over. After suffering something of a nervous breakdown on the job, Brosnan shows up at Kinnear's door, hat in hand, hoping for a little help from the only friend he has.
Kinear's wife... is a excited to have a killer in the house. |
Kinear's wife, played by Hope Davis, is a excited to have a killer in the house. She's heard all about him, of course; it's obviously a family legend. Kinnear even emulates Brosnan in small ways.
That's where the story takes an unusual turn. Brosnan is in serious trouble and a plot twist reveals that something happened in Mexico that we didn't see. This is brilliantly laid out, and the details come out only slowly thru the third act. Guessing what that something is is great fun and becomes the prime mover of the film, or perhaps second only to the colorful characterization.
| It certainly is well orchestrated, with scenes full of quiet desperation and pregnant pauses.... |
The film is written and directed by Richard Shepard, who hasn't hit it big until now... if this is big. It certainly is well orchestrated, with scenes full of quiet desperation and pregnant pauses that, even tho this is ostensibly a comedy, create genuine drama. This is more drama than, say, Sideways, but with a similar tone. A bit more comedy—character-driven, mind you, not slapstick—would have put Matador over the top. As it is, it will probably be a respected effort that gains some ardent fans, but misses with the masses.
More's the pity. Count me as one of the fans.
f e e d b a c k
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