Cible émouvante

It is hard to believe that twenty years have passed since the release of this extremely promising debut of Tunisian-born writer/director Pierre Salvadori. It has since of course acquired a tragic dimension owing to the presence of the talented but ill-fated Guillaume Dépardieu and Marie Trintignant, both of whom were to make two more films with this director before their untimely deaths.

To call this piece 'bizarre' would be an understatement as it is a somewhat uneasy mix of comedy and violent death in which assassins are portrayed as buffoons. It has plenty of pace however plus inimitable Gallic finesse whilst the dynamic between Victor, Renée and Antoine is fascinating and their characters well-drawn. As a bonus we have Patachou as Victor's murderous maman. Composer Philippe Eliard's use of the accordion adds to the film's overall kookiness and the sharp editing is by Hélene Viard.

Suffice to say the lynchpin here is the performance of veteran Jean Rochefort as Victor. One simply runs out of superlatives when describing this actor whose subtlety and innate quirkiness enrich every film in which he appears. Following his breakthrough role in 'Pardon mon affaire' he made a wise decision to retain the moustache he had grown for that film.

Although it is not a classic, one appreciates the film's merits even more when considering Jonathan Lynn's utterly worthless remake from 2010. That this lamentable British version has garnered twelve times more IMDb reviews than the original is depressing and oh so typical.

Victor Meynard (Jean Rochefort) is a seasoned, aging contract killer with a hesitant sexuality, under his mother's thumb. But his future could be symbolized by a young, naive dispatch rider Antoine (Guillaume Depardieu) whom he wants to initiate to his job. For his next contract, he has to kill a young female thief, Renée Darieux (Marie Trintignant) who is hunted down by a gang of baddies but unplanned circumstances lead him to protect her and to take refuge in his house. Victor is torn down between two alternatives: should he fulfill his pledges and get rid of Renée or should he let love prevail for her?

Pierre Salvadori may be a minor director, his films bear the mark of a personal work with nothing intellectual or pretentious in them and they should deserve more recognition in the guide of films by Jean Tulard in which each of his efforts has only one star out of four. "Cible Emouvante" has enough valuable assets to justify its screening. First, Salvadori's first effort eschews in the major part of the film, an ultra-mapped master plan and is straddling several genres. Thus, the onset of the film might let the viewer think that the film will be based on the formation of Antoine to the job by Victor. But later, the director changes way and follows the three main characters trying to escape the Casa Bianca gang who runs after Renée. The two gangs will rub shoulders in a chic hotel. And finally, Salvadori steers his work on another way when Victor, Antoine and Renée wind up in Victor's house. Investigations from the Casa Bianca gang, chases and suspense take a back seat and perhaps the chief key of the film is Victor's personality. This man goes through emotional turmoil and doesn't know how to come to terms with Antoine and Renée who force him to question himself about his job and his life.

These different directions deftly mesh without major clumsiness. Pierre Salvadori wields black humor and maintains laughter thanks to a shrewd scenario in which he weaves preposterous, hilarious sequences. And he eschews some predictable moments through unexpected schemes. And let's not forget potent cues. At last, a delineation of the characters contributes to the pleasure of the film between the finally fragile Victor, the naive Antoine and the neurotic Renée. Guillaume Depardieu and Marie Trintignant will meet again in the director's two subsequent works: "les Apprentis" (1995) and "Comme Elle Respire" (1998).

Don't expect something astounding but a gratifying, refreshing black comedy with a sense of unpredictable.

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

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.