Wild Target Review

A very British remake of a French black comedy, this hitman farce squanders its bullseye cast on patchy material. Up for the perennial one-last-job, hitman Victor (Bill Nighy) is sent out to knock off Emily Blunt’s art thief when a blunder sees him protecting his own target, then a tagalong apprentice (Rupert Grint). Sent into hiding, the three form a dysfunctional bond, but the jaunty montages screech to a halt when Martin Freeman’s harsh rival hitman pitches up. Lumbered with tame action and carbon-dated gags (honestly, have dead parrots been funny since Monty Python?), the cast just about charm their way out of it. Nighy’s value, but it’s a bit like watching an ITV sitcom spin-off of A Fish Called Wanda .