Julian Noble (Pierce Brosnan) is a hit man - in his words "a facilitator of fatalities" - who's very good at what he does. He's in Mexico City doing another job-- "a corporate gig"-- his specialty. Sadly for Julian though, he has reached a low point in his life -- the murder business has all but killed him on the inside. Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) is also in Mexico City on business, although a decidedly different kind of business. Danny lives in Denver with his wife Bean (Hope Davis), and while they may have troubles financially, there is a youthful lust between them that belies ten years of marriage. Danny finds himself in Mexico City for a business opportunity whose outcome could be the difference between Danny solving all his financial problems or falling even deeper into debt and insecurity. One night, at the hotel bar, these two men meet. Before long, they find themselves having an extremely unique Mexico City experience, one that will change them both forever. Julian the hit man, Danny the ordinary American businessman find that while they have nothing in common, they both need each other in ways they never knew they would.

Much like Pierce Brosnan’s character the movie is slick, and it has it own sense of style. This isn’t your typical run of the mill kind of movie as the film has almost this wise cracking feel to it with off jokes and this strange slow offbeat kind of feel to it. The movie has its fair share of action but it also takes immense time and effort on character development as both Brosnan’s and Greg Kinnear’s characters are given the five star treatment. It is almost like you are right there in the middle of the action getting to know this odd couple as they interact with each other and find they may have more in common than would have ever thought possible. One is a slick, hip hit man that has hit a mid-life crisis and has grown tired of the game he cannot escape and the other is a happily married man that his hit a string of bad luck so bad he has begin to question whether he can ever escape its grasps. Both characters need each other in this odd sort of way all at the same time not being able to see eye to eye on every issue as they lead completely different lives.

Don’t be fooled by the action or the wise cracking jokes this movie is a slice of life of two people whom seem completely opposite but have so much in common, this is a character movie and how each other effects the other in profound ways that neither could have ever expected. The movie is the kind of movie on a slow day you could find yourself popping it into the dvd player and watching it as it has a number of elements that make it so enjoyable from comedy, to action and mostly to the drama of two men who just happened to meet in a bar way down in Mexico.

Pierce Brosnan is perfect for this role because of his stint of the James Bond series as it is very easy to accept him as a hit man who has run his course. This is how I would imagine a fifty something Bond who has been drummed out of MI6 and forced to get work as a man for hire. He still has that slick exterior that is Bond but he is finally mentally breaking down and you can almost see the cracks. , Greg Kinnear also fits perfectly because he feels like the family man who has nothing but bad luck and his reactions to the seamier side of Brosnan’s life are exactly how most of us would act if we were to learn the man we just had a drink was a killer. It’s almost a feeling of awe and fear mixed together and it’s where the saying “curiosity killed the cat” must have come from because Kinnear while somewhat afraid of him can’t help but being drawn into his world with how cool it is. And the interaction between the two characters had me smiling most of the movie. This is the fun kind of movie that you would skip work for as it is like you are playing hooky on reality with the story of a hit man who invades the average Joe’s life.

Grade: B