Retrospective Review: Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear in 'The Matador'

Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear and Hope Davis.

Dir. Richard Shephard. ★★★★☆

If you were looking at the best films of 2006, many of you maybe expecting to see 'The Departed' or 'The Queen', 'The Divinci Code', or maybe even 'Casino Royale', but our sights are firmly set on the 'The Matador'. Surprised? You will be pleasantly with this utter gem of a film that leaves you wanting more yet equally satisfied and all within its 96 minutes.

'A hitman and a salesman walk into a bar...'

A chance encounter between a travelling salesman and a lonely hitman triggers a strangely profound relationship which provokes each to act in ways neither would have imagined possible. Fate steps in to form a friendship between two men from irreconcilable worlds that will alter the lives of both forever.

Written and directed by Richard Shephard who would later to go to provide the same duties behind 'Don Hemingway', Shephard would take a different slant on the hitman genre, with a fresh and original vision that started with the idea of the humble bar conversation.

The film was probably the biggest Oscar snub of 2006; while arguably some would say it wasn't a winner, it was still a contender, and it was such a pity that Shephard, the great cast of Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear and Hope Davis, were not even given a nod. The Matador re-invents the hitman and buddy comedy genre with a narrative, banter and wit that goes toe to toe with the thin line between great comedy and balls out almost gross out moments that you may blink and miss, but are deftly handled all the same, which we will get back to shortly.

In fact this is a film with great balls, and it's a kudos to the performance made by Pierce Brosnan who delivers with great relish in the protagonist 'Julian Noble', a hitman whose life of killing has taken him to the edge of who and what he has become; burnt out, incapable of any kind of real, social or emotional connection.

Brosnan's range in defining the character of Julian Noble must have been a dream as he brings a genuinely tragic, melancholy, hypnotic performance to a figure who is predatory, seriously funny, truly lonely and very believable, a man who starts crying out from the inside, beating at the empty shell that Julian has become. You can't help but feel as you get to the end of this film he was truly robbed of an opportunity at Oscar, even a nomination would have gone some way to acknowledging that this was a tour de force, stepping out of the shadow of James Bond. The bar scene between Danny (Kinnear) and Julian (Brosnan) is worth the price of admission alone, you know this is a comedy but the scene is rich in pathos as we see Julian struggle to hold down a simple conversation because it's not the norm for him, and echoes his plight beautifully.

There are moments in the film that certainly raise eyebrows, and these are things that could have gone sideways with an audience, had it been anyone else cast in the roles, and a different director at the helm. Brosnan really gets to work with the character of Julian, who is not a likeable character in off moments given for his more coarse remarks that toe the line to cringe, however unlike other known cringe worthy characters in film and television that make you pull your gums up over your teeth, Brosnan's 'Julian Noble' will still make you smile, you simply can't help feel sympathetic towards the guy.

'I'm as serious as an erection problem.'

The film sets the bar very high for anything trying to follow in it's footsteps and even Hollywood or any home of film could learn a lot from 'The Matador', the pace bounds along and hold's your attention, with mesmerising performances, wonderful comic timing that handles wit and pathos and treats those both the same; Brosnan delivers deliciously wicked one liners as Julian Noble, which adds further to making this a memorable cinematic ride. Visually, Shephard has gone for a warm palette of colour that keeps the comedy even in the darkest of moments and where colour is absent it is replaced with the light and glow of the cities our anti-hero passes through.

Like with Brosnan the other half of the film belongs to Greg Kinnear and Hope Davis whose heartfelt story of the down on their luck couple of Danny and Carolyn 'Bean' Wright grounds the story with an edge of tragedy and sense of realness. The dynamic between them and Julian Noble in their home in what appears to be the holiday season, snow and a Christmas tree in tow adds something warming and magical as they share a moment with Whiskey, song and dance... You'll see what I mean.

The film is transformed further in this setting, that hearkens back to the golden era of film comedy, and dares anyone to place this firmly in their collection of Christmas favourites, in a fashion.

Rest assured however the film is quick to remind it's audience of the film's identity and our protagonist's predicament, and this is the genius of Richard Shephard's writing and direction the fearless balance of crossing genre, while laying firm with it's core as a comedy thriller. How this film got overlooked is anyone's guess; it was well received in festivals, scored distribution, and even got Golden Globe nominations.

Needless to say, Oscar got cowboys, but we got and incredible adventure between a hitman and a salesman.

If you want a great ride of a movie, then look no further than 'The Matador' it's a very merry four margaritas from me for this terrific comedic turn by Shepard, Brosnan, Kinnear, Davis and company.