The film has to fly by its wits -- and its witty lines -- and by the charm of its stars. This it does, just barely.
Wild Target
They said 'Take her out'. He got the wrong idea.
2010 · 1h 38m · PG-13
Action, Comedy
Directed by
Jonathan Lynn
Overview
Victor Maynard is a middle-aged, solitary assassin who lives to please his formidable mother, despite his own peerless reputation for lethal efficiency. His professional routine is interrupted when he finds himself drawn to one of his intended victims. After sparing her life, he unexpectedly acquires a young apprentice. Believing Victor to be a private detective, his two new companions tag along, while he attempts to thwart the murderous attentions of his unhappy client.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
It's never a good idea to cast Bill Nighy as a buttoned-down hit man.
Practically a text book in how ugly things can get when you don't have the right, light touch for this sort of thing.
There have been a lot of black comedies about assassins lately -- there have been a few just this year -- but Wild Target may be the first one to contain genuine laughs.
An eccentric little comic thriller filled with enough laughs that I was mostly willing to overlook the fact that it makes virtually no sense as a thriller.
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