“Two things that taste better in Mexico: margaritas and cock.” That is the kind of shocking but funny line that perfectly captures what Julian Nobel in The Matador is all about.
Pierce Brosnan plays Nobel, a loner, social outcast and “facilitator of fatalities.” He is an assassin so over-worked he forgets his own birthday. He is definitely a departure from Brosnan’s usual roles. Nobel is a charming oddball free of the social constraints that keep most people in check. Little things like walking through a hotel lobby in nothing but cowboy boots and groin-hugging swim trunks, or interrupting a stranger’s story about the death of his only son with a joke about a Mexican midget with a 15-inch penis, don’t daunt him. He’s 007 meets Bad Santa. Seeing Brosnan playing this kooky yet suave killer, you get the feeling this is the most fun he’s had on screen in a while.
We meet Nobel at a crossroads. He realizes something’s missing from his life. Mainly, the fact that he has no life. Other than work (killing), booze and women, he has nothing. Enter Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear). Danny is a business man down on his luck, traveling Mexico City for a job he desperately needs.
The Matador has a refreshing sense of humor. It doesn’t beat you over the head for the joke and hits the right tone between suspense and humor. The movie finds a way to inject humor into serious scenes without breaking the tension.
Instead of plot twists, the movie relies on character twists. You don’t so much guess what’s going to happen next as what’s happening within the characters now. The characters unravel slowly, revealing personality much richer than you would expect. Greg Kinnear plays the perfect straight man to Brosnan’s loveable sociopath. Danny Wright at first seems like an average Joe, a character that exists simply to juxtapose the off-kilter Nobel. But underneath you can feel there’s something more, something darker. When Nobel reveals his profession to Wright, he doesn’t react with as much shock as you might expect. Instead, he convinces Nobel into walking him through a mock assassination.
Julian is unsavory, but too charming not to like. Sure, he picked off some lady with a sniper rifle, but as such a silly goose, how can you not love him? You really start to empathize with Nobel and his earnest struggle to fit in. In a lot of ways he’s a lonely social leper looking for a friend, which he finds in Danny Wright.
The Matador doesn’t rely on plot or action, and what action there is comes in tasteful, shocking bursts. You’re chuckling one second and jumping in your seat the next. The film isn’t for those who are more impressed by story than personality. But even a jaded hitman/buddy movie fan can enjoy this refreshing blend of character and comedy.
