Petits Meurtres à l'anglaise

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 thoroughly enjoyed this film and thought it was very entertaining. True, there were only a few laugh-out-loud moments, but it kept me chuckling away for most of the 90-odd minutes. I thought Bill Nighy's performance was spot-on and Eileen Atkins' role gave her plenty of scope for comedy moments. Rupert Everett and Gregor Fisher worked well together, and Martin Freeman was very good as Dixon. Although the plot was simple, the film was reminiscent of a lot of British comedies from the Sixties and Seventies, which was probably why I enjoyed it so much. It was also good to see something that wasn't shot in America and didn't follow the stereotypical plot lines that most American films seem to have as a matter of course.

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.

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.

For those who haven't seen Ciblé Émovante from 1993 do. But Wild Target is seriously a tremendous remake.

Very very funny and just plain good fun - this harks back to the golden age of British comedies, sidesteps (in the main) Guy Ritchie and goes for that same vibe that Shooting Fish had.

The plot of the buttoned-down assassin and the kooky girl and the guy who gets involved by mistake is a vehicle to hang some great lines and situations on; let's just say it involves art forgery, hired guns, kleptomania, and Snowy the Cat. Brilliant stuff. Bill Nighy does his usual comic timing to perfection and he and Emily Blunt, along with the two Ruperts, Grint and Everett, bring a real sense of fun to this. Well supported and very well directed there's not much to complain about here - it's just a great comedy and taken as that you could do much worse.

Honestly, we haven't laughed or just flat out enjoyed a film this much in a long time - it's got a wonderful vibe to it that just makes watching it fun - and after all it's nice to get back to some good old fashioned killing without all the pizazz....

Highly recommended if you like British comedies, do try to get to see the french original, it's a corker, but this, this one is going in my collection....