Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Rupert Grinn and Rupert Everett star in this black comedy based on the 1993 French film Cible Emouvante. From trailers and advertisements you would be lead to believe that Wild Target is a leg slapping corker of a laugh out loud comedy. This however only rings true for the majority of the first half and only a few moments later when it’s a little more cringe worthy humorous than the comedy you would expect to continue throughout.

The plot follows Victor (Bill Nighy) an assassin who is past his prime and in need of retirement. Coming from a long line of successful assassins his seemingly senile mother (Eileen Atkins) tends to be on his case about settling down and continuing the family business with a child of his own. When he is given the job of hunting down Rose (Emily Blunt) who has scammed a black market art dealer (Rupert Everett) out of a very prestigious painting, Victor’s conscience kicks in and instead he spares her life and acquires an apprentice at the same time, Tony (Rupert Grinn,) From capes and wands to rags and guns, Grinn’s character Tony is in the wrong place at the wrong time, finding himself under the wing of Victor as an apprentice. Both Rose and Tony believe Victor to be an undercover detective with an inevitable and obvious reveal later on.

Our trio find themselves running from the replacement assassin, Dixon (Martin Freeman) who has more of a comical smile than comical timing. They become held up in the same hotel as Everett, in a plot line that you would relate to a slapstick farce. Half expecting them to run from room to room in a Benny Hill style sketch; you wouldn’t be far from the truth. Proceeding this we find them returning to Victors countryside home where the comedy takes a rest to develop a romancing amongst the protagonists, which would leave you very sceptical of the writers mind as it’s not the most natural of coupling.

All of the Comical moments are enjoyable but seem to disperse more towards the back end of the film. One liners and physical elements tend to stay throughout but the more the comedy fades, the romance takes over. The overall genre becomes a little mixed and confusing. The film is not essentially a Rom-Com but seems to steer in this direction unnecessarily. As far as British films look, small car chases, gun violence and the big settings give the film a very appealing, expensive looking finish.

Directed by Jonathan Lynn (My Cousin Vinnie) and written by Lucinda Coxon. In my opinion they have created more of a popcorn movie than that of an interesting or gripping box-office hit.

I believe that if you’re looking for light entertainment and no blow-your-mind storytelling then Wild Target would be a perfect watch. However, with Victor’s mother being the most quirky and entertaining character, although only with minimal screen-time; don’t go with expectations of watching the funniest of comedies this year. It’s light hearted and mildly comical despite the mainstream gangster themed plot. It’s enjoyable if you can let go of all moralities to cope with the ending.