‘WILD TARGET’: AN UNUSUAL BUT FUN ACTION MOVIE!

The fact that I actually rented this movie suggest that, even picking this one up off the shelf was a small step out of my comfort zone in terms of the films I see. Normally, I go for stories that are more “feet firmly planted on the ground” (so to speak), but the trailer for Wild Target just hit me in all the right places. (No pun intended!)

Wild Target (2010) Film Review

Living up to his father’s expectations is something Victor Maynard (Bill Nighy) does well. Taking over the family business, as it were, Victor is a professional hit man. He carries out each hit with precision and nary a single hiccup. However, living up to his mother’s standards is another thing all together. Rose (Emily Blunt) is one con away from being in a very dangerous situation. Her latest and biggest swindle to date involves selling a painting to the wealthy Ferguson (Rupert Everett) who has the means to buy an original, only problem is, right under their noses she switches out the original for a forgery.

When these two get tangled up in each other’s lives, anything and everything could go wrong.

Victor’s latest assignment is taking Rose out. But during his foiled attempts, his surveillance of her makes him see her as more than just a job. Rescuing her from an attempt on her life by Ferguson’s amateur bodyguards, Victor instead decides to protect her, and he acquires a young tag-along, Tony (Rupert Grint) in the process. Under the impression that Victor is a private detective, it becomes one wild journey after the next for these three misfits to come out of their situation without a target on their back.

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Seeing the trailer spot for this paints it as a wild, wacky adventure in the making. If “safe” and “normal” are mutually exclusive to your movie language, beware this won’t be your cup of tea. It takes those two words in completely opposite directions.

Wild Target is one zany comedy, and it’s this dynamic which gets it into the most trouble. The ensuing chuckles come in places where laughter really shouldn’t erupt but does. There’s good comedy, but the bulk of it relies way too much on crude humor, and it’s that brand of “funny” that leaves an unpleasant aftereffect. There are plenty of things to admire though. Normally, costumes do not mean much to me unless watching a costume drama, but here the wardrobe was… interesting to say the least. Rose’s ensembles were a blend of retro and modern, and mostly insane, still somehow on her, they just worked!

Casting is very important to the outcome of a movie, and it’s end game. I love, love Emily Blunt. She first gained national attention in The Devil Wears Prada and since then, has shot to stardom. Something about her acting is fabulous, I am not, however fond of the rest of the cast. All of them may be star quality talent but for these roles, I think different people would have been better. The exceptions are Everett; Martin Freeman (who is in BBC’s Sherlock); and Eileen Atkins (this time she has the shotgun instead of Helen Mirren, and who could resist this?!).

They tease the final scene early on so that we “expect” its arrival, and so it’s no surprise. It’s actually done well, and while I didn’t mind it because the story is zany and certainly comedic – and nothing more, I still think this would benefit from a different cast, while still depicting mismatched companions. Likely, this isn’t going to be something I’ll watch over and over again but when browsing the video store shelves looking for a good laugh, it’s sure to suffice.

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CONTENT: Surveillance equipment catch’s Rose’s lovemaking. We hear various sexual innuendoes and “jokes”; questions arise whether or not Victor is homosexual. Early on, one barely negligible f-word is used plus sh*t, da*n. At least four assassination attempts are made on Tony or Rose’s lives. One occurs in the bathtub where the man holds Tony’s head down, attempting to drown him; the camera barely avoids nudity. At least four men are die. A gun backfires on a man [the camera briefly shows the piece shot back into his head]. The film is PG13.