Wild Target

Written by Joe the Revelator




An anal-retentive hitman, a sultry kleptomaniac, and Ron Weasley walk into a bar... Actually, it's an upscale hotel, where a cheated art collector is waiting with his posse' of armed thugs, intent on killing the klepto over the sale of a duped Rembrandt.

Wild Target stars Bill Nighy as a quirky, idiosyncratic mamma's boy who lives a life so boring it makes your teeth hurt. His furniture is wrapped in plastic. His clothes are meticulous and neat. And he practices his French while he strolls around town, putting lead slugs in people's heads. "Half now, half later..." He says with a sigh, sitting down to tape severed bills back together; his fee for a successful hit.

His newest target, played by Emily Blunt, is a spunky klepto and con artist who exudes life on a manic level. Her wild lifestyle and unpredictable nature make her the most difficult contract he's ever tailed. And when he finally has her at the business end of a pistol, he finds that he can't pull the trigger. Usually, putting these two personalities together would feel gimmicky and forced, like Jacky Chan and Chris Tucker. But with the wry British humor it works without too much kitsch.




Adopt-A-Weasley Foundation

The duo is joined by Rupert Grint of Harry Potter fame, sporting a pencil-thin mustache and looking like a teenage runaway. His presence is never fully explained in detail, he simply joins the hitman and the klepto as if he was always part of the group. He's quiet, bumbling, and hapless, which isn't a huge departure from his prior Potter roles.

The real charm of this movie is during the "getting to know you" period, when the three are forced to share a suite at the hotel or while they're hiding out at mother's house in the country. The group has chemistry, but it's all the wrong kind. They're three oddballs whose view of the world just can't seem to click together, even with the threat of painful death just over the horizon.


Wild Target is a calm, easy-going movie with plenty of funny moments. Nothing hit me as particularly laugh-out-loud, but it was still a good relaxing flick, which I would recommend seeing. Check it out on Netflix.