A hit-man tries to retire but a beautiful thief may change his plans.A hit-man tries to retire but a beautiful thief may change his plans.A hit-man tries to retire but a beautiful thief may change his plans.
James O'Donnell
- Barney
- (as James O'Dee)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Nice little British movie about art forgery, swindling and assassination, all good fun, with a strong cast. Bill Nighy is likable as ever, although convincingly cold-blooded at the requisite moments; Emily Blunt is suitably infuriating and adorable in equal measure; and Rupert Grint cements his Brit Pack credentials, although I'd like to see him in a more serious and 'gritty' role. There isn't much for Martin Freeman (nice teeth); Rupert Everett (nice stubble) or Gregor Fisher to do, but it's good to see them nonetheless. It all feels a bit rushed to me, and the end comes on very suddenly and is all a bit too convenient, leaving a sense that it could have been more substantial and interesting given a bit more effort on the storyline, enjoyable enough though if you have a forgiving nature, definitely worth a look.
What can I add to a great British comedy more than other's reviews? Well, it was fresh, fun, a touch of sexiness and simply fun. (I said it twice?)
We were 11 and if we were in US, I think we could file for a 3rd grade murder by suffocation! It was an instance in the movie when Bill Nighy said, "May I do your other foot!".
I can tell you guys that, 7 of my friends choked instantly on the buttered pop-corns and I, as the only person in the row, tears in the eyes, still breathing, had to take care of them all.
Coughing, tears in the eyes hitting their backs! Lucky we were not thrown out of the theater!
It is a fresh, British humor, Classy and Cool movie. Give it a try.
We were 11 and if we were in US, I think we could file for a 3rd grade murder by suffocation! It was an instance in the movie when Bill Nighy said, "May I do your other foot!".
I can tell you guys that, 7 of my friends choked instantly on the buttered pop-corns and I, as the only person in the row, tears in the eyes, still breathing, had to take care of them all.
Coughing, tears in the eyes hitting their backs! Lucky we were not thrown out of the theater!
It is a fresh, British humor, Classy and Cool movie. Give it a try.
Well, in contrast to the first review, i felt that this was a hilariously funny attribute to the British film industry. With continuous amusing modern slap stick humour throughout.
I had been looking forward to the release of this film for a while, and it was far better than i had ever expected. The cinema was packed and everyone was laughing throughout the entire film, which in my experience is very rare.
There is an incredible cast containing many well known British actors/ actresses, overall a must see film.
Looking forward to the DVD release. Thank you. x
I had been looking forward to the release of this film for a while, and it was far better than i had ever expected. The cinema was packed and everyone was laughing throughout the entire film, which in my experience is very rare.
There is an incredible cast containing many well known British actors/ actresses, overall a must see film.
Looking forward to the DVD release. Thank you. x
I ended up seeing this title in one of those frustrating moments where my main choice of feature was either on at the wrong time, had not even been released yet or my friends just flatly did not want to see the same things as I, and so we ended up going to Wild Target as an inoffensive compromise. I was expecting it to be real cheesy and void of humour, especially after having seen the trailer. I was pleasantly surprised!
Okay, when one goes to the cinema with such low expectations, they can only but move in one direction, but nevertheless I have to commend the movie on several points. I thought all the one-liners would have been used up in the trailer (and those that I had seen had seemed tacky at best) but I guess the movie isn't about one-liners. Rather then relying on half cocked jokes, it pulls itself onto its own two feet using situational comedy, which gives it a real British flavour. I heard it compared to the humour of the old Earling Studio movies, which seems like a nice comparison. Actually, on doing a little research, I found that the original story came from a French movie (Cible émouvante, 1993). It's easy to tell from the zany characters, offbeat humour and introspective look on life that it was originally French in theme, but as a story it translates nicely onto a typically British backdrop.
Basically Victor Maynard, a cold hearted hit-man played by Bill Nighy (great performance as always - he's legend!) is a middle aged unmarried killing professional who is beginning to loose his touch. This becomes no more obvious when he fails to make a hit on the sensually beautiful Rose (Emily Blunt). Things start to get complicated for Victor when he finds, not only has he lost the killer instinct, but he also starts protecting her from the men sent to finish the job.
I'm not sure about the Rupert Grint character of Tony. He seems the most out of place in my opinion. I suppose Tony was added to feed in a further dynamic between Victor and Rose and their growing relationship, but for me, this relationship triangle was either not developed fully or just failed outright. Maybe it held more credence in the original French story, but in the English version at least, Tony really does feel like the spare tire as his presence seems unnecessary and the character's attributes hammy. By far the weakest link the movie.
Quirky and light hearted; it may only be a lighter shade of grey rather then a full blown black comedy (12A Cert in Ireland), but still a pleasant surprise if you come to stumble upon it.
Okay, when one goes to the cinema with such low expectations, they can only but move in one direction, but nevertheless I have to commend the movie on several points. I thought all the one-liners would have been used up in the trailer (and those that I had seen had seemed tacky at best) but I guess the movie isn't about one-liners. Rather then relying on half cocked jokes, it pulls itself onto its own two feet using situational comedy, which gives it a real British flavour. I heard it compared to the humour of the old Earling Studio movies, which seems like a nice comparison. Actually, on doing a little research, I found that the original story came from a French movie (Cible émouvante, 1993). It's easy to tell from the zany characters, offbeat humour and introspective look on life that it was originally French in theme, but as a story it translates nicely onto a typically British backdrop.
Basically Victor Maynard, a cold hearted hit-man played by Bill Nighy (great performance as always - he's legend!) is a middle aged unmarried killing professional who is beginning to loose his touch. This becomes no more obvious when he fails to make a hit on the sensually beautiful Rose (Emily Blunt). Things start to get complicated for Victor when he finds, not only has he lost the killer instinct, but he also starts protecting her from the men sent to finish the job.
I'm not sure about the Rupert Grint character of Tony. He seems the most out of place in my opinion. I suppose Tony was added to feed in a further dynamic between Victor and Rose and their growing relationship, but for me, this relationship triangle was either not developed fully or just failed outright. Maybe it held more credence in the original French story, but in the English version at least, Tony really does feel like the spare tire as his presence seems unnecessary and the character's attributes hammy. By far the weakest link the movie.
Quirky and light hearted; it may only be a lighter shade of grey rather then a full blown black comedy (12A Cert in Ireland), but still a pleasant surprise if you come to stumble upon it.
Wild Target is the ultimate British black comedy, which makes a refreshing change from all the Hollywood movie's right now.This is hilarious throughout with laughs going to all the cast. Billy Nighy, Emily Blunt and Rupert Grint give terrific performances with superb support from Martin Freeman, Gregory Fisher and Eileen Atkins who make the most of their time on the screen.
There is a lovely chemistry of romance between Blunt and Nighy and you care about the characters and that's what makes this movie so intelligent, though they commit crimes like Nighy is an assassin and has killed people and Blunt is a thief, the audience can remained attached enough to laugh at their predicament but at the same time care about the characters and what happens to them as Nighy falls for Blunt and at the same time they and Grint become like a family, and that is difficult to pull off, but this film does it tremendously. It's also surprisingly touching in places as the transition from romance to drama to comedy is handled seamlessly blending lovely together. The story though basic is good enough and the script is structured beautifully with sharpness and wit embedded within. A terrific British comedy that is one of a kind. It deserves all the praise it has and will receive and judging by the 7.8 IMDb rating it has been given I'd say the praise is high. It's a rating well deserved
There is a lovely chemistry of romance between Blunt and Nighy and you care about the characters and that's what makes this movie so intelligent, though they commit crimes like Nighy is an assassin and has killed people and Blunt is a thief, the audience can remained attached enough to laugh at their predicament but at the same time care about the characters and what happens to them as Nighy falls for Blunt and at the same time they and Grint become like a family, and that is difficult to pull off, but this film does it tremendously. It's also surprisingly touching in places as the transition from romance to drama to comedy is handled seamlessly blending lovely together. The story though basic is good enough and the script is structured beautifully with sharpness and wit embedded within. A terrific British comedy that is one of a kind. It deserves all the praise it has and will receive and judging by the 7.8 IMDb rating it has been given I'd say the praise is high. It's a rating well deserved
Did you know
- TriviaVictor Maynard (Bill Nighy) holds guns with just a thumb and middle finger, with his index on the trigger. This unusual grip is because he suffers from Dupuytren's contracture, which means he can't straighten the ring and little fingers on each hand.
- GoofsWhen Victor is massaging Rose's feet, in the close ups you can tell that a hand double is used because all 5 fingers are straight; however, Bill Nighy has Dupuytren's contracture which means that the last two fingers on both hands are permanently pointing inwards. This is visible in the wide shots.
- Crazy creditsThe first item in the "Thanks to" section of the rolling credits reads: "ASHMOLEUM MUSEUM, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD for use of 'Paul Cezanne Near Auvers-sur-Oise', oil on canvas, 46 x 55cm. This painting was stolen on 1 January 2000 and has not been recovered." Apparently, this theft indeed did occur. Note, the movie was filmed in 2009.
- ConnectionsFeatured in At the Movies: Summer Special 2010/11 (2010)
- SoundtracksHotel Song
Written & Performed by Regina Spektor
Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd.
Courtesy of Warner Music UK Ltd.
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Sát Thủ Học Việc
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $8,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $108,589
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $23,174
- Oct 31, 2010
- Gross worldwide
- $3,494,154
- Runtime
- 1h 38m(98 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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