Inside Pulse Review – The Matador

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(Credit: www.impawards.com)

Writer/Director:

Richard Shepard

Cast:

Pierce Brosnan……….Julian Noble
Greg Kinnear……….Danny Wright
Hope Davis……….Bean Wright
Philip Baker Hall……….Mr. Randy
Adam Scott……….Phil Garrison
Dylan Baker……….Lovell

The Weinstein Company presents The Matador. Running time: 96 minutes. Rated R (for strong sexual content and language).

Tell me if you have heard this one before. A middle-aged businessman and a hitman nearing his fifties walk into a Mexican bar. They both order margaritas. The businessman tells the stranger how great his drink tastes. The hitman says there are two things that taste great in Mexico, “margaritas and cock.” Um, o-kay. If that off-the-cuff remark offends you in any way, then The Matador is not the film for you. But if you find yourself with a grin or a smile, you are in for a treat.

Richard Shepard’s film is a dark comedy about a diligent businessman, Danny Wright, who is in dire need of a deal and an uncouth hitman who’s suffering from a nervous breakdown. Pierce Brosnan is the professional killer Julian Noble; but he would rather be considered a “facilitator of fatality”. It kind of rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? He’s old, but proficient at what he does. Judging by his appearance, Julian is what Agent 007 would look like if he woke up one morning on the wrong side of the bed. This is, of course, after he let some fair-haired bombshell blow on his dice in Monte Carlo.

Greg Kinnear is the middle-aged businessman who has traveled to Mexico in hopes of landing a sale. He’s married to his high school sweetheart Bean (Hope Davis), and has been trying to get his life on track ever since being laid off a year ago. If the sales pitch wasn’t enough to worry about, on the day of his flight, a tree topples into his kitchen. What nerve. The poor man couldn’t even finish his bowl of Frosted Flakes (or get a quickie from his wife before leaving).

There’s a brief moment where the two cross paths in the Denver International Airport, but they never come in contact. Julian was in Denver on a job. He’s very resourceful for a hired killer. Not only is he an expert at firearms, but he can also rig a car to go boom, and insult children on a whim. When Julian isn’t on the clock, he likes to keep his edge and indulge in the finer things of life – namely, booze and broads.

Julian is not a people person, not by a long stretch. While conversing with Danny in the bar, he perceives him to be a spy. Julian is the type of guy who tends to say stupid things at the most inappropriate times. Like when Danny confesses to him that his kid died the previous year, one might expect sympathy or a little compassion. Oh no, not from Julian. He would rather change the subject and tell a joke about a midget and a guy who has a huge “swizzle stick.”

This isn’t the way to react, especially with Danny down on his luck and still grieving about the loss of his son. As Julian starts to apologize, Danny storms out of the bar. Julian tracks Danny down and befriends him once again and coerces him into attending a bullfight. It is there where Julian admits what he does for a living. Surprised, the Denver businessman becomes morbidly curious about the profession; and, he gets a crash course on the finer points of killing.

It’s easy to think that the encounter the two men have while in Mexico is the setup to a bad joke; but The Matador is anything but. It’s a fun romp with Brosnan bringing his A-game, and Kinnear and Hope Davis adding support. Richard Shepard is like a budding Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout) with his characters and sharp dialogue. Some critics have compared The Matador as “Sideways meets Midnight Run.” If that’s the case, margaritas have replaced wine as the drink of choice. And, unlike Charles Grodin who was an accountant on the lamb, Greg Kinnear is a man looking for a break. The only real comparison is that each film is a buddy picture.

Buddy pictures have been around for decades. Hope and Crosby; Riggs and Murtaugh; Harold and Kumar, the list goes on. But for Julian and Danny their friendship takes a rocky road. Flash-forward to six months after Mexico and Julian is strung out. He’s lost his professional killing prowess. He strolls around hotel lobbies in his underwear and cowboy boots. Yeah, his work-related problems are pretty bad. Thus, it is fitting to have Julian dropping in on his drinking buddy at some ungodly hour in Denver.

If you want to know what happens next, well, let’s just say there’s drinking, more vulgarity, and some great one-liners from Pierce Brosnan. What else would you expect from watching two guys who like to drink margaritas in a Mexican bar? Just be thankful they weren’t sipping pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!