Wild Target (2010)

A hitman tries to retire, but a beautiful thief may change his plans.

Director:

Jonathan Lynn

Writers:

Lucinda Coxon (screenplay), Pierre Salvadori (film "Cible émouvante")

Stars:

Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Rupert Grint

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Nighy	...	Victor Maynard
Emily Blunt	...	Rose
Rupert Grint	...	Tony
Rupert Everett	...	Ferguson
Eileen Atkins	...	Louisa Maynard
Martin Freeman	...	Hector Dixon
Gregor Fisher	...	Mike
Geoff Bell	...	Fabian
Rory Kinnear	...	Gerry Bailey
Duncan Duff	...	Jeweller
Graham Seed	...	Appraiser
James O'Donnell	...	Barney (as James O'Dee)
George Rainsford	...	Waiter
Alexis Rodney	...	First Hotel Receptionist
Sia Berkeley	...	Smart Hotel Receptionist

Storyline

Victor Maynard (Bill Nighy) is a middle-aged, solitary assassin, who lives to please his formidable mother, Louisa (Dame Eileen Atkins), despite his own peerless reputation for lethal efficiency. His professional routine is interrupted when he finds himself drawn to one of his intended victims, Rose (Emily Blunt). He spares her life, unexpectedly acquiring in the process a young apprentice, Tony (Rupert Grint). 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.

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Plot Keywords:

apprentice | bodyguard | hitman | assassin | rembrant painting | 

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Taglines:

They said 'Take her out'. He got the wrong idea.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, some sexual content and brief strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bill Nighy and Gregor Fisher appeared in Love Actually (2003).

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Goofs

(at around 20 mins) When Rose first goes into the restoration department of the museum she startles Gerry and he flinches, leaving a dab of paint on the left-hand side of the man's forehead just below the hairline of the painting he is working on. In the next camera angle he seen removing the dab with a cotton tipped stick from the right-hand side and there is no paint mark on the left side.

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Quotes

[Ferguson is in traction]
Hector Dixon: How is your assistant?
[He indicates Mike, who is lying in a coma next to Ferguson]
Ferguson: They want to turn him off.
Hector Dixon: Hmm... perhaps that would be for the best.
Ferguson: No, he's been paid through the end of the month. And anyway, he's company.

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Crazy Credits

The first item in the "Thanks to" section of the rolling credits reads: "ASHMOLEUM MUSEUM, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD for use of 'Paul Cezanne Near Auvers-sur-Oise', oil on canvas, 46 x 55cm. This painting was stolen on 1 January 2000 and has not been recovered." Apparently, this theft indeed did occur. Note, the movie was filmed in 2009.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Summer Special 2010/11 (2010)

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Soundtracks

All Over Me
Written by Pete Simpson, Bennett Holland, Scott Moncrieff & Tom Bell
Performed by Pete Simpson & Bennett Holland
Published by Westbury
Courtesy of Pete Simpson

User Reviews

My 336th Review: Excellent remake - and the funniest movie in its genre since Shooting Fish

For those who haven't seen Ciblé Émovante from 1993 do. But Wild Target is seriously a tremendous remake.

Very very funny and just plain good fun - this harks back to the golden age of British comedies, sidesteps (in the main) Guy Ritchie and goes for that same vibe that Shooting Fish had.

The plot of the buttoned-down assassin and the kooky girl and the guy who gets involved by mistake is a vehicle to hang some great lines and situations on; let's just say it involves art forgery, hired guns, kleptomania, and Snowy the Cat. Brilliant stuff. Bill Nighy does his usual comic timing to perfection and he and Emily Blunt, along with the two Ruperts, Grint and Everett, bring a real sense of fun to this. Well supported and very well directed there's not much to complain about here - it's just a great comedy and taken as that you could do much worse.

Honestly, we haven't laughed or just flat out enjoyed a film this much in a long time - it's got a wonderful vibe to it that just makes watching it fun - and after all it's nice to get back to some good old fashioned killing without all the pizazz....

Highly recommended if you like British comedies, do try to get to see the french original, it's a corker, but this, this one is going in my collection....

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK France

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 June 2010 (UK)

Also Known As:

Wild Target

Filming Locations:

Baconsfield Terrace Road, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$23,174, 31 October 2010

Gross USA:

$108,589

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,494,154

Company Credits

Production Co:

Magic Light Pictures, CinemaNX, Isle of Man Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1