Film Reviews

Wild Target

• Rating:
• Director: Jonathan Lynn
• Starring: Bill Nighy
• Details: UK/97mins 12A

In a film that has come completely out of nowhere (no press screening, minimal advertising) but packs a noteworthy cast, my expectations for Wild Target were not high. Generally when you have a gorgeous, much buzzed-about lead actress, a classy well-travelled leading man, and a popular young male star in your cast, you flog your film like a desperate pimp; yet, barely a dickie-bird has been heard from this, and for good reason - it's an absolute stinker. More misjudged that atrocious, it could still be argued that it's atrociously misjudged.
Bill Nighy stars as a cold, calculated, but later loveable hitman, who is hired to kill Emily Blunt's con-woman. When he trails her for a day, and sees her randomly steal stuff, he becomes endeared, and can't cap her. Instead, he nearly blows away another hitman sent to kill her, and the two become mates, along with the ginger one from Harry Potter who just hangs around the place mimicking Joey from Friends' 'smell the fart' acting. But Martin Freeman is in it too, and he needs something to do, so he's the other hitman trailing them.
Helmed by the man who brought us similar American assassin farce, The Whole Nine Yards, that mildly amusing production at least had comedic players cast in roles that suited. Here, Nighy is entirely the wrong man for the part, and his relationship with both Grint and Blunt just feels creepy, which undermines any of the little comedy that's going on and creates a contradictive, incoherent tone. In fairness to the normally wonderful Nighy, he's hardly given the material to shine, but Grint's 'deer in headlights' supporting performance is just mostly embarrassing. Blunt should've known better; she's better than this, and it will hopefully be no more than cramp in her otherwise strong-legged career.
One or two moments raise a chuckle, but these moments are few and far between. When things finally crawl towards a merciful conclusion, it's so ineptly handled by Lynn, you'll be willing your watch to move forward as quickly as possible so you can go outside and bounce your head off a wall for being stupid enough to purchase tickets.
Lower expectations upon a viewing can often leave you pleasantly surprised, here they weren't low enough - this is utter muck, and a complete waste of a talented cast.

Review by Mike Sheridan