20 Years Before MobLand, Roger Ebert Hailed Pierce Brosnan’s The Matador as an ‘Overlooked Gem’

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I have to say, when I saw Guy Ritchie’s MobLand on March 30th, 2025, I was completely blown away by Pierce Brosnan’s performance. He played Conrad Harrigan, the head of a London crime family, and it was nothing like James Bond. This guy was ruthless, totally unhinged, and Brosnan went for it – pure, unadulterated fury. It was wild to see someone so known for playing smooth, sophisticated characters just… yell! And the accent! He went with this over-the-top Irish accent that was almost comical. The irony? Brosnan is actually Irish himself, grew up in County Meath! It was a brilliant, unexpected turn, and honestly, one of the most fun performances I’ve seen in ages.

Even with the unusual accent, Pierce Brosnan is incredibly fun to watch as the crazed Harrigan, and he clearly enjoys the role. It’s a surprising performance for audiences used to seeing him as a charming hero, as he fully embraces playing a ruthless villain. In fact, this shift in image may have begun two decades earlier with his darkly comedic role as an aging hitman in the film The Matador. Film critic Roger Ebert called that movie an “overlooked gem,” and it showed audiences a different side of Brosnan, portraying a morally questionable character who cheerfully referred to himself as a killer-for-hire.

The Matador’sJulian Noble Allowed Brosnan to Break Bad for the First Time

By the mid-2000s, after finishing my run as James Bond with Die Another Day, I really wanted to move beyond that role. Honestly, I hadn’t always made it easy on myself! While I thought the Thomas Crown Affair remake in ’99 was a good film, it definitely cemented my image as this suave, handsome rogue. And then After the Sunset in 2004… another charming thief! I was starting to feel typecast and eager to show people I could do more.

He’d previously starred in films with well-known actresses like Rene Russo and Salma Hayek, generally playing characters similar to those he’d done before. But with the movie The Matador, Brosnan was finally able to try something different.

This darkly humorous thriller features Pierce Brosnan playing Julian Noble, a hitman struggling with a crisis of conscience as he gets older. While he initially seems like a typical Brosnan character, a closer look reveals some striking differences. His hair and mustache are unkempt, and his tired eyes and slight belly suggest a lifestyle fueled by drinks rather than healthy food.

Adding to his overall impression, his clothing – like a bright orange jacket – feels outdated. He also lacks the confident bearing of a classic James Bond; instead of standing tall and moving gracefully, he appears hunched over and unsteady.

The film initially generated a lot of buzz because of a memorable scene where Noble, visibly intoxicated, confidently walks through a hotel wearing only Speedos and boots. It’s a fantastic scene that demonstrates even an attractive person can be uninhibited on screen. The scene, and the movie as a whole, highlight Noble’s depression and regret over his past actions, and explore his journey towards redemption.

Despite the character’s limitations, Brosnan manages to showcase a chilling side to Noble, hinting at a ruthless core that explains his long history of cold-blooded killing. These moments reveal a darker intensity from Brosnan, a quality he would later effectively utilize when playing Harrigan. While Noble isn’t as villainous as Harrigan, the role still provided Brosnan with useful experience portraying a character who operates outside the bounds of morality.

Brosnan and Greg Kinnear are a Funny and Unexpectedly Touching Double Act

In the film The Matador, one of writer-director Richard Shepard’s cleverest choices is to contrast the life of hitman Julian Noble with someone who lives a completely ordinary life – a life Noble has always steered clear of. It quickly becomes clear that this kind of normalcy is actually what Noble needs, especially now that people are trying to kill him, rather than constantly running and hiding around the world.

The movie opens with Noble struggling with alcohol in a Mexico City hotel, reeling from a failed assignment. It’s revealed he couldn’t go through with the hit – for the first time, he hesitated, bothered by a newfound sense of morality.

Nursing his sadness with a drink, Noble encounters Danny Wright, a struggling businessman grieving the loss of his baby son. Noble, who has suppressed his own feelings for years to remain detached for work, responds with a thoughtless joke, deeply upsetting Wright and causing him to leave. The following day, Noble sincerely apologizes and invites Wright to a bullfight as a gesture of goodwill.

In one of the film’s most memorable moments, the killer shocks Wright by calmly explaining how he could commit a murder at the event and avoid getting caught. The scene is darkly funny, highlighting the stark contrast between a professional killer and someone focused on typical business deals.

The connection between Brosnan and Kinnear is what truly makes the movie work, preventing its sometimes dark humor from becoming too much. Their surprising friendship is genuinely touching, and they help each other become better versions of themselves.

After meeting Kinnear, Noble gains confidence and starts speaking his mind. Meeting Wright helps Noble connect with his feelings and decide to leave his life as a hitman. However, he quickly gets Wright involved in a plot to kill his boss, known only as ‘Mr. Stick’. It’s hard to change your ways, though, when your past is actively trying to destroy you.

Without The Matador, There May Have Been No MobLand

When it first came out, The Matador did okay in theaters, but it became more popular once it was released on DVD. The film was perfect for Pierce Brosnan at that moment in his career – it allowed him to move away from playing straightforward heroes and take on roles with more shades of gray.

Over the next ten years, he became known for his role in a historical drama, where he played a Union soldier from the Civil War haunted by the accidental death of a Confederate colonel’s family. He also appeared in the action movie The Foreigner, playing a former IRA leader who had become a politician in Northern Ireland.

His gradual involvement in increasingly ruthless and violent acts ultimately unleashed his full potential as a dangerous crime boss, capable of extreme acts like bombing a rival’s wife’s car or threatening his own child.

While many enjoy Pierce Brosnan’s performance as Harrigan, some fans believe his portrayal of Noble was better. Harrigan can sometimes seem overly theatrical and villainous in MobLand, and though Brosnan clearly relishes playing the over-the-top character, it feels less realistic. Noble, in contrast, was a more complex and understated role, demanding Brosnan to navigate a delicate balance of morality and tone – and he handled it exceptionally well.

It’s , who gave the film a glowing three-and-a-half star review, gushed:

“Everything centers on the best performance Pierce Brosnan has ever given.”

High praise, indeed. The Matador is now available to stream for free on Tubi, Plex, and Pluto TV.

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2025-11-17 07:09