Wild Target (1993)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Dreadfully Boring

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

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.

As black comedies go this is right out of the top drawer. A year before (1972) Michael Winner's 'The Mechanic' featured a hit-man, Charles Bronson, who takes on an apprentice but that movie played it straight as opposed to this one in which ace hit-man Victor Meynard (Jean Rochefort) decides to teach a delivery boy, Antoine (Guillaume Depardieu) the tricks of the trade rather than kill him when he is a witness to Meynard's latest hit. Simultaneously flimmer Renee Dandrieux (Marie Trintignant) is conning the mob out of nine hundred thou and when she pulls it off Meynard is given the contract to take her out. Had he done so there would have been no movie or else it would have been a different one altogether so the three of them go on the lam and hole out in the Meynard family seat where they are finally discovered by Dremyan (Charlie Nelson), the second-best hit-man currently working. Writer-director Pierre Salvadori has come up with the delicious concept of a family of hit men - one of the most droll moments occurs when Victor, having cooked a roast and set it down on the table produces not a carving knife but a garotte which arguably does the job better. When Renee enquires where he acquired such an implement he replies dryly 'a present from my mother'. Mother, in the shape of Patachou is quite a dab hand herself, equally at home with gun, knife, or poison and there's a nice dark gray tagline involving the now-married Rochefort-Trintignant's infant and a missing family cat. A notable addition to the genre.

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

This is one of the best examples of black humor I have ever seen. The sub titles do NOT take away from the excellence of this film. Jean Rochefort is perfect as the highly disciplined assassin, expertly contrasted by the art thief who's name eludes me.Keep an eye in the background as well for some hilarious gags especially during scenes with the mother. The black humor might not be as funny to some but if you like it, this is one of the best examples you'll find anywhere.You won't be disappointed.