A quirky British rehash of the classic 1993 French crime-thriller parody Cible Emouvante, Wild Target is a 'comedy' with an A-list cast. But unlike its acclaimed predecessor, it neither thrills nor amuses.
Rose (Emily Blunt), a free-spirited amateur con artist, tricks Ferguson (Rupert Everett), a gangster with a love of art, into buying a Rembrandt painting. Soon after she swaps a fake for the real - the plan is too clever to work in real life - Ferguson's employees realise her deception and hire Victor Maynard (Bill Nighy), the best assassin in the business, to kill her.
Before Victor realises it, he, Rose and the apprentice Tony (Rupert Grint) have become the targets of another hit.
Wild Target contains a lot of farcical elements. Mistaken identities and misunderstandings are sprinkled over a plot with a lot of holes. The tired jokes make the film feel second-hand and dull. Even worse, the gags seem to be recycled from a half-dozen old films, with the funniest bits in the trailer.
Director Jonathan Lynn assembled a talented cast, but not even they can rescue the lazy script and dry dialogue. But Nighy does sparkle in his portrayal of a silent assassin looking to uphold the family name and please his mother. His character, an oddly honourable man, strikes an awkward yet amusing contrast to Rose.