Review of Wild Target (1993) by Soraya ~ — 20 Nov 2010

Victor Maynard (Bill Nighy) is a gentile killer of the classical variety, old school right down to his sock suspenders and despatching targets with a minimum of fuss. So embroiled is he in "the business" that his neglect of his emotional side sees him a secretly lonely bachelor who'll attach to anyone who sprukes the words, "I love you", even if it's uttered by a parrot. His mother's goading to find a mate merely salts his wounds. When his latest mark turns out to be the attractive confidence trickster and temptress, Rose (Emily Blunt), he finds himself committing the cardinal sin of professional killers: protecting his target rather than taking her out. On the run with Rose and car wash boy, Tony (Rupert Grint), (who becomes accidentally embroiled in the drama) Victor finds himself defending his new charges against the British hit fraternity.

Nighy, Blunt and Grint are each likeable performers in their own way, as are their characters, but something is amiss here. The jokes are inherently funny and humourously absurd and austere in that very English way but their realisation in terms of direction and delivery are sly of the mark. This is odd considering the director, Jonathon Lynn, worked on the comically sharp, Yes, Prime Minister, albeit as a writer. The result is stilted comic timing which makes the accompanying melodrama excessively cheesy - you find yourself giggling quietly to yourself rather than laughing raucously as befitting a comedy of this type.

Wild Target is a recipe with all the right comic ingredients but oddly falls ever so short of the mark. Despite a generous slice of Blunty goodness and the indomitable Bill Nighy, it's hard to love this film. I guess we'll just have to settle for being "good friends" instead.