Wild Target

I consider Bill Nighy to be a masterful actor. Yesterday I sat down to view his latest film, Wild Target. Nighy plays Victor, a professional hitman whose life is turned upside down with the arrival of his latest victim a con-woman called Rose, played by Emily Blunt.

Trained in the art of murder since his 7th birthday Victor is a ghost. So good at his job that his peers are in awe of him even though they have no idea who he actually is. Privately he lives a lonely existence in a roomy house where the vast majority of the furniture is unused and covered with plastic sheets. He is so non-descript you would walk past him in the street without a second glance.

Enter Rose, a flighty con-woman who has duped Ferguson (Rupert Everett) into purchasing a fake Rembrandt. Keen for revenge Ferguson hires Victor to take Rose out. Victor follows Rose and as he tries, in vain,to murder her he is slowly charmed by her free spirit. In the spur of the moment he saves Rose, and stoner Tony (Rupert Grint), from a second hitman and ends up becoming their protector.

The rest of the film deals with the unlikely trio and their escape from Ferguson and his cronies. Victor comes to realise he is missing out and is just existing rather than living.

Wild Target is one of those comedy films that doesn’t make you laugh out loud very often but does ensure you are always smiling. It sort of reminded me of Saving Grace in that respect. As an aside if you haven’t seen Saving Grace seek it out it’s brilliant. I left the cinema feeling amused and up beat.

Bill Nighy is great at showing the inner conflict of this character. He lets Victor’s emotions dance across his face. Emily Blunt is quirky and Rupert Grint likeable. Rupert Everett is as sleazy as ever while Gregor Fisher and Martin Freeman get some nice screen time.

Check it out. You never know you might like. It’s ok I won’t tell.