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Pierce Brosnan comprehensively trashes his James Bond image in this fitfully engaging comedy thriller. He's a grizzled, misogynist, booze-sodden, self-loathing hitman who forms an unlikely friendship with Greg Kinnear's mild-mannered salesman during a trip to Mexico City, with unexpected results. Richard Shepard's film hovers uncertainly between Coen Brothers wackiness and Tarantino cool without finding its own tone, but there are a few decent laughs along the way.

Brosnan's Julian Noble is an eye-wateringly nasty creation. Leathery, brash and marinated in Tequila, he hops from city to city, killing clients, sleeping with prostitutes and gradually sinking into a pit of despair. His meeting with Kinnear's na茂ve Danny comes at a particularly low ebb, when he is beginning to feel the first stirrings of a conscience.

After a shaky start, our heroes form an alliance that's rather touching. Noble teaches Danny the tricks of his trade, offers him marital advice, and tries to get him involved in an assassination. At this point, the plot takes a number of unexpected turns that it would be wrong to spoil.

"GRACEFUL LITTLE NOTES OF HUMANITY"

It's not clear how seriously we are meant to take all this. Shepard uses bright multicoloured titles to announce his locations and gives his characters silly names - Noble's superiors are called Mr Randy and Mr Stick - but Brosnan's pained, painful performance is always raising the stakes. Kinnear finds graceful little notes of humanity throughout, and Hope Davis, as his very understanding wife, is the funniest and most charming creation of all. Weird, but watchable.