For those of you who have wondered what ever happened to "JH", I have been waiting to see a movie that is worth taking precious time to review and one that has not been over reviewed by others. Seeing that there are only 4 reviews written on this film, The Matador, I implore you to see this off-the-beaten-path of a movie. Have I peaked your interest?
Here is some more food for though:
Pierce Brosnan, plays an assassin, Julian Noble, who is really quite unlikable, except by the ladies, out of style haircut, ostentacious clothes, gold chains and a nasty s eating grin, permanently plastered to his face. Hardly the James Bond that we have grown to love. No, he is crude, rude and shallow. Next comes along, poor Greg Kinnear, Danny Wright, normally quite the handsome guy that the girls coo over and dream about. He, like Brosnan has a certain stereotype for suave and debonair. However, this time, he is pitiful in a way that you just cannot put your finger on. As he and his wife are in the middle of the kitchen attempting a quickie before he is set to leave for Mexico on business, the kitchen caves in with a massive tree, the casualty of the horrendous storm outside. The weather should have been a clue, but perfect as we start to sense that he is just a "small guy, " trying to recaptivate some success as he is on his own professionally, recently laid off from a corporate advertising job. He is the underdog and plays this unbelieveablly well.
Always, intrigued by a movie’s title, I wondered how The Matador got its name and learned early on that there is an art to killing. A good matador takes one strike and has in his mind to be efficient and merciful by a quick death, that the animal not suffer. This is much like he views his own work as an assassin. He takes this quite seriously and explains this to his new found friend, another aspect of his personality that allows us to see that he is no ordinary assassin. Have you made a connection to the two character’s names? Noble and Wright?
I was ready to really hate the two and had my thumb at the ready on the TiVo button to skip ahead but I just could not do it, these two had a strange chemistry and had me following along. What on Earth could a poor advertising man grasping on for dear life and a cocky hitman have in common? Well, somehow it all comes together and you have to see how these two define their friendship.
One aspect of the story that was intriguing and funny was that of the hitman who loses his nerve and the poor pitiful Kinnear who is there to help him. He actually enjoys his role in helping Brosnan to gain back his nerve. The two, in a way flip flop their points of views and weaknesses and find friendship and comedy along the way. But, by all means this is no comedy. If you must, it is black comedy and really worth a watch. I consider it in the same genre as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, but a lot lighter and easier to follow.