Der Killer und das Mädchen

Jean Rochefort (The Phantom of Liberty) plays Victor Meynard, a 55 year-old professional killer; but he is starting to lose his touch. He is unmarried, and trying to learn the English language, as well as tending to his Dwarf Ulanus plant, and paying visits to his eccentric mother.

During a hit, Victor stumbles upon a timid young man named Antoine, and decides not to kill him, but learn him the art of killing people in different ways. Victor is then hired to kill a femme fatale named Renee, who has ripped off a mobster. Chaos ensues when Victor is prevented from killing her by another hitman, and he decides to take Renee to his house, along with Antoine.

The three of them then hide out there. The three characters are good together, and the film moves along at a good pace. It is an entertaining and funny film to watch and never dull.

If you like Dark Comedy, you'll love this one. Cible Emouvante, lives up to its name "Wild Target". An Excellent film if I must say so. I was Introduced to the film by my French Professor. I immediately wanted to purchase the film. It is constantly moving, no getting bored here! The film is a lot of fun and laughs--ENJOY

Rochefort plays professional killer Victor Meynard in this beautifully shot French black comedy.

I rented this movie not knowing anything about it and barely reading the cover.

I was immediately drawn into the movie by Victor's deadpan expression and uptight manner and watched his composure melt away into plain irritability at his foiled assassination attempt on the art thief Renee as she is seen shop lifting. It then crumbles to exasperation as more things do not run according to plan as he is so obviously used to.

The Corsican gangsters are threatening enough, and the introduction of Guillaume Depardieu as the "all thumbs" Antoine tops off the chemistry and cast adding to the total chaos inflicted upon Victor's usually well ordered life.

There is a lovely scene too where Victor has afternoon tea with his aged but elegant Mother and it hilariously transpires here that she is an authority on poisons and pistols. A side-effect of this scene is a mysteriously dead Parrot.

It is all underplayed beautifully and the dark humor, characterization and pace contribute to a refreshing alternative to Hollywood.

A fantastic little black comedy, up there with Kind Hearts And Coronets and A Fish Called Wanda. This is a very funny film, in a dry, witty way which gives it real style. The four lead performances are all good, but Jean Rochefort in particular does a brilliant dead-pan in the lead role. There are plenty of good lines, but the funniest jokes are visual- the synchronising of the push-chair gently bumping the car with the noise of the crash behind, or the re-appearance of the parrot behind Madame Maynard. And Patachou's cameo in that role (the mother, not the parrot) makes the movie worth seeing alone. Highly recommended, and worth seeing twice for the subtle jokes you miss the first time. And if you're wondering: yes, Guilliame Depardieu does have his father's nose.

Victor Meynard (Jean Rochefort) is a professional assassin. Leaving the scene of his latest hit he bumps into delivery boy Antoine (Guillaume Depardieu) and decides to take him on as his apprentice. Meanwhile art thief Renee (Marie Trintignant) has sold a fake to a Corsican gangster for 900,000 francs. Maynard is employed to kill her, but he falls in love with her and ends up protecting her from the Corsican's henchmen. They hide out at Meynard's home, where Antoine and Renee disrupt the older man's eccentrically well-ordered life.

Despite the predictability of the storyline, this fast-moving black comedy keeps the viewer entertained throughout. Jean Rochefort (seen previously in "The Hairdresser's Husband") is hilarious as the anally-retentive assassin whose world is turned upside down, and is ably supported by the kleptomaniac Trintignant and the incompetent apprentice Depardieu. Also, at 88 minutes the film doesn't outstay its welcome.