The Matador Review
Posted by Jacob Ziegler on 01.27.2006
Brosnan and Kinnear make a great team...
THE MATADOR
December 30, 2005
Julian Noble: Pierce Brosnan
Danny Wright: Greg Kinnear
Bean Wright: Hope Davis
Miramax presents a film written and directed by Richard Shepard. The running time is 96 minutes. It is rated R for strong sexual content and language.
BY JACOB ZIEGLER, 411Movies
The character Julian Noble can be generally described as being a scumbag. He's getting on in his years, has salt and pepper colored hair as well as a big bushy moustache of the same color, he spends most of his time on cheap women or cheap booze (sometimes both simultaneously), and is a cold-blooded killer. But you know, funny. He's no James Bond, that's for sure.
That last sentence is only relevant if the man playing Julian Noble happens to have played James Bond in no fewer than four films ("Goldeneye" in 1995, "Tomorrow Never Dies" in 1997, "The World is Not Enough" in 1999, and "Die Another Day" in 2002), as Pierce Brosnan did. His Julian Noble completely obliterates the suave image he cultivated by playing the world's smoothest secret agent.
Brosnan disappears so fully into the role that it easily becomes the best one he's ever played. He dominates the film, stealing every scene, sometimes outrageously and sometimes with a snide remark.
Of course, a great wacky character needs a straight man to play off, and Julian gets his when he meets Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear), a simple salesman. They meet in a bar in Mexico City, which sounds like the bad setup to a series of homoerotic misadventures, but that's not the case. They just strike up conversation and are interested in each other because they each represent the polar opposite of each other's personality. In fact, after several years pass between Julian and Danny seeing each other, Danny has grown a moustache, most likely in tribute to a man he secretly (at least he thinks so) admires. I too would find it hard not to admire a man who describes his job as "facilitating fatalities."
The film isn't about a particularly linear plot or anything, but follows Julian and Danny through their interactions with each other. After a series of panic attacks, Julian tracks down Danny and his wife Bean (Hope Davis of "About Schmidt"), struggling financially back in Denver. Bean already knows enough about Julian to immediately ask him if he brought his gun. They are fascinated with him and he with them. Their pleasant, domesticated life is far removed from what Julian understands, because he admits that he's never lived anywhere, and he just goes from job to job, almost like a parasite of the world.
Kinnear and Davis also do a fine job with their roles, both of which go a little further than most screenplays would allow them to go. Davis is great at portraying what could be an ordinary housewife and turning it into something memorable, as she also did in "American Splendor" and "The Secret Lives of Dentists." Kinnear is easily one of the most underappreciated actors working today, and he brings a fascinating energy to this film.
"The Matador" stumbles a bit in the third act, but the material leading up to it is strong enough that it's forgivable. Anything featuring a character as simultaneously obnoxious and endearing as Julian Noble is a rare thing.
The 411: Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, and Hope Davis give three terrific performances in a film written and directed by Richard Shepard. Brosnan in particular stands out with a performance that stands as his very best.
