Brosnan trades in the tux, but keeps the gun

It's hard to star as the famous James Bond and then successfully move on to a different role. Yet, Pierce Brosnan seems to have done it with "The Matador" and he is able to prove that he is not just James Bond.\nBrosnan stars in this dark comedy as Julian Noble, a hit man who is on assignment in Mexico. While there, Julian begins to realize that he has no one- no friends, no family and no place he can call home. Desperate to find some sort of companionship, Julian befriends Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear), a normal guy who is just in town for regular business. Although, at first Julian comes off hard and as a jerk and he scares Danny away. The following day, Julian expresses his apologies and insists that Danny accompanies him to a bullfight. At the fight, the two get to talking about their lives and jobs, and Julian decides to tell Danny about his job. As both of their stays in Mexico come to an end, the two go their separate ways with no intentions of ever seeing each other again.\nThe movie continues with Julian going on to another job, yet he realizes he is having a meltdown and needs a vacation from his work. His boss insists he finishes the job, which causes the overly tired, stressed Julian to screw up, leaving many people upset. Julian is left with one final assignment to redeem himself, or else it will cost him his own life. Desperate to live, Julian finds himself going to Danny's home seeking help, as he is the only person he considers a friend. Danny feels bad for Julian, and regardless of Julian being a hit man, Danny and his wife (played by Hope Davis) invite Julian to stay with them while he gets things sorted out. \n"The Matador" is a surprisingly likeable movie that is well written, sharp and comical. I think Pierce Brosnan took a risk for taking this role, but it worked out well for him. He took the script to another level and made the movie what it is with his demeanor and facial expressions. Brosnan was able to earn a Golden Globe Best Actor nomination for his role. Greg Kinnear was also admirable as Danny, his character is kind of goofy, yet very likeable. \nThe DVD comes with features such as funny deleted scenes, the making of the film featurette and commentaries with Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear and writer/director Richard Shepard. I personally find watching the movie with commentaries to be annoying, yet it was interesting to watch on this film to learn why things were done the way they were. \nI'm not saying to rush to go see this movie, but if you have the time, it is something to take in. Though, not exactly a family movie, the plot and language used make this movie something for teenagers and older.