The Matador (15)

At one point in The Matador, Pierce Brosnan s increasingly hysterical assassin Julian Noble claims to be a parody . Noble is, to all intents and purposes, talking about himself but his words also ring true in comparing the character to Brosnan s former i

At one point in The Matador, Pierce Brosnan's increasingly hysterical assassin Julian Noble claims to be "a parody".

Noble is, to all intents and purposes, talking about himself but his words also ring true in comparing the character to Brosnan's former incarnation, James Bond.

Julian Noble is an assassin in the midst of a breakdown, a chain-smoking, out-of-shape drunk, everything the suave Bond isn't, and all the more interesting for it.

Brosnan is a delight as the hitman who forms an unlikely friendship with all-American but down-on-his-luck businessman Greg Kinear.

He staggers and swaggers with grey hair and a paunch, delivering a stream of hilarious, incredibly rude, one-liners.

There's not much plot to speak of and action fans will be disappointed to know there's not a single high-speed car chase or smarty-pants gadget in sight.

Instead The Matador is a cheeky, quirky and highly engaging character study of two incredibly different people, both in their way struggling to be the men they want to be. By Hannah Gray

Thanks to Cineworld, Stevenage