The Dork Lord's Domain

'Wild Target' is the story of a hitman considering retirement, when suddenly circumstances find him protecting one of his marks rather than killing her. Featuring Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Rupert Grint, Rupert Everett, Eileen Atkins and Martin Freeman, this film is a brilliant home grown British comedy. There's a reasonably high body count, but you barely actually see anyone get shot, which means the film doesn't descend into a gore fest but can instead focus on comedy and the story. Bill Nighy's character (Victor Maynard) finds himself about to turn 55, the age his father (also a hitman) was when he retired and started a family. Victor is a gentlemanly professional killer, with a fondness for Burgundy wine and conversational French. He's hired to kill Rose (Emily Blunt), a thief who's angered Rupert Everett's character by selling him a forgery of Rembrandt's self portrait. After being thwarted several times in his attempts to kill her, Victor finds himself having to kill a rival hitman and pass himself off as a private detective. Lumbered with the task of protecting Rose, Victor also finds himself with a naive and eccentric apprentice in the form of Tony (Rupert Grint), who got caught up in all this when he accidentally shot one of the other rival hitmen. The three escape London and hide in Maynard's country house, where everything that can be wrapped in plastic is so wrapped.

Nighy, Blunt and Grint work spectacularly together. An unlikely trio that present numerous opportunities for brilliant exchanges, comedic moments and just a little dash of pathos. Martin Freeman supports as Victor's grinning, sadistic rival in the world of professional killers, Dixon. Considering the usual roles Freeman plays, this is a refreshing change for him. However, there can be nothing more unusual than Eileen Atkins holding a formidible looking gun while berating her son for failing to kill his mark. She has only a handful of scenes, only slightly fewer than Rupert Everett, who plays the mood swinging Ferguson, the man Rose sells the fake painting too. For me personally, this film confirms my long held belief that Rupert Grint has a bright future in comedy. His performance as the eager, innocent and ever so slightly childish Tony is a joy to watch.

The film itself is riddled with hilarious moments, such as Rupert Grint reasoning that between Maynard and another hitman, he feels he can trust him because "he's wearing a tie, and I haven't just shot him so he's not as pissed off with me". Then there's the trio checking into a hotel room just across from the man they're trying to escape from, a short lived performance from Roger the Parrot, who Victor picks up after a hit and presents to his mother as a gift.

This film really is a must see. No doubt it will be eclipsed by all the big films coming our way this summer, but in my opinion it doesn't deserve to be. I truly believe that more needs to be done in this country to publicise films like this. 'Twilight' and 'Shrek' barely need advertising, people will go and see them at the drop of a hat. We should be supporting our own film industry more and give less time to these 'big' imports.