THE MATADOR (2005): 3 stars out of 4. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Hope Davis, Phillip Baker Hall, Adam Scott and Portia Dawson. Written and directed by Richard Shepard. Rated R. Running time: Approx.: 96 mins.

        Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear will slay you in The Matador, a black comedy about the unlikely friendship between an anxiety-ridden hitman and a buttoned-down businessman.

        Brosnan's Julian Noble is the antithesis of his name. He is coarse, crass and crude. And, before his crisis of confidence, he was one of the best 'facilitators of fatalities” in the business.

        He and Danny Wright meet in a bar in Mexico, where Julian is on holiday after completing a job, and Danny is trying to close a big business deal.

        Julian is going through a mid-life crisis. He thinks he is losing his nerve, and questions whether or not he can continue in his chosen profession.

        Danny, who is frantically awaiting word on whether or not he has landed a client, has had a string of bad luck, beginning a couple of years earlier with the death of his son in a school-bus accident.

        All he wants to do is return to his wife (Hope Davis) in Denver.

        Late one night, Julian and Danny strike up a conversation in a hotel bar, which leads to the start of a rather unusual relationship.

        Julian takes Danny to a bullfight and reveals his occupation to him.

        Brosnan, with his ugly haircut, stubbly beard, cheesy mustache and too-flashy gold chains, is nothing like the suave James Bond he has left behind. His only interests are women, booze and his targets.

        He is no man of honor. As he tells Danny, 'I lie when I need to, tell the truth when I can.”

        Writer-director Richard Shepard teases you throughout, creating situations that make you question Julian and Danny's moral compass.

        The Matador is a delight. Brosnan displays a wonderful flair for comedy, while Kinnear is perfectly in tune as his shocked, straight-arrow foil.

        A subtext of sadness underlines the comedy, as Kinnear and Davis work at trying to rebuild their lives and hold their marriage together after the loss of their son.

        A few months after their initial encounter, Julian arrives unannounced at Danny's Denver doorstep. He is a marked man, trying to extricate himself from a potentially fatal situation.

        In an ironic twist, Danny, who disapproves of Julian's occupation, must help him carry out one last assignment so he can free himself and retire.

        A bouncy soundtrack featuring songs by The Jam, The Cramps and Tom Jones maintains the movie's light one.

        For a movie about a hitman, The Matador is quite non-violent. Shepard only shows Julian's set-ups, never the aftermaths of his assignments.

        At 96 minutes, The Matador moves quickly, telling its story in a concise, entertaining manner that keeps you emotionally invested in Julian and Danny.

        The Matador makes an entertaining remedy for your winter doldrums.

       Bob Bloom is the film critic and DVD reviewer at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at bob@bloomink.com. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier Web site: www.jconline.com
Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com.