by MARK SLUTSKY

History will most likely remember him as the fifth James Bond, and Pierce Brosnan seems very much aware of that. In fact, he seems smart enough to continually subvert his square-jawed international smoothie image in other movie roles—at this point, he almost has a shadow career playing a darker shade of Bond. Take his sleazebag British agent in The Tailor of Panama, or his smirky jewel thief in The Thomas Crown Affair—or now, his mustachioed Eurotrash hit man in Richard Shepard’s new film The Matador, all of which capitalize on his Bond-ian charms.

The first half of The Matador is set in Mexico City, where businessman Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) is pitching something big to some prospective clients. What exactly he does is unclear, but what is apparent is that this is an important account and things haven’t been going too well for him. One night in the hotel bar, Danny starts up a conversation with another guy there on business, Julian Noble (Brosnan), an ageing and increasingly burnt-out assassin specializing in “corporate gigs.” Of course the two develop an unlikely friendship—there wouldn’t be a movie if they didn’t—with Julian thrilling Danny by showing him how he’d pull off a hit at a bullfight, and Danny thrilling the lonely Julian just by being his buddy.

Ultimately, as their relationship evolves, you realize that this is another loveable hit man movie, and how you feel about that genre may influence whether or not you enjoy The Matador. Brosnan’s character is portrayed more or less along the lines of Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa, a weirdly charming self-loathing fuck-up with some good left in his heart.

But where Thornton was a thief in that movie, Julian is a pretty amoral murderer here, and the jollity seems a little... off. This is a movie that could have gone into some pretty dark places (especially considering Danny’s rapt fascination with Julian’s job), and yet pulls back, preferring to stay in light-comedy mode. And although on the face of it The Matador is a pretty stylish and watchable movie, it’s also unsatisfying.

The Matador opens Friday, Jan. 20

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