Wild Target (2010) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A professional assassin abandons a contract for love, builds an unconventional family, and discovers that his violent legacy may continue through the next generation.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

The Forgery Contract

Rose's fake Rembrandt sale provokes Ferguson into hiring Victor. Victor accepts the contract, but his repeated failures begin to undermine his professional detachment.

Key Events

• Victor's Assassin Legacy — Victor is introduced as a reclusive assassin continuing his family's professional lineage. Characters: Victor Maynard, Mother Location: Maynard family home
• Rose Sells the Forgery — Rose sells Ferguson a forged Rembrandt for £900,000. Characters: Rose, Ferguson Location: Art sale setting
• Ferguson Orders Murder — Ferguson hires Victor to assassinate Rose. Characters: Ferguson, Victor Maynard Location: Ferguson's business setting
• Victor Accepts the Contract — Victor takes Ferguson's assassination contract against Rose. Characters: Victor Maynard, Ferguson Location: Contract meeting
• Rose Evades Victor — Victor encounters several opportunities but repeatedly fails to kill Rose. Characters: Victor Maynard, Rose Location: Various pursuit locations

Love Replaces the Target

Victor cannot bring himself to kill Rose and eventually falls in love with her. After protecting her from another assassin, he encounters Tony and lets the young man join their unstable partnership.

Key Events

• Rose Evades Victor — Victor encounters several opportunities but repeatedly fails to kill Rose. Characters: Victor Maynard, Rose Location: Various pursuit locations
• Victor Falls in Love — Victor abandons the assassination attempt after falling in love with Rose. Characters: Victor Maynard, Rose Location: Shared encounter
• Another Assassin Attacks — Victor thwarts another assassin's attempt to kill Rose and encounters Tony. Characters: Victor Maynard, Rose, Tony Location: Street setting
• Tony Joins the Pair — The apparently homeless Tony becomes involved in Victor and Rose's lives. Characters: Victor Maynard, Rose, Tony Location: Street setting
• Victor Considers Tony — Victor briefly wonders whether he is sexually attracted to Tony. Characters: Victor Maynard, Tony Location: Temporary refuge
• Tony Becomes Apprentice — Victor adopts Tony as a protégé and assassination apprentice. Characters: Victor Maynard, Tony Location: Temporary refuge

The Revenge Pursuit

Ferguson commissions Dixon to eliminate Victor and Rose. The trio hides in a luxurious hotel, but their location is exposed and Ferguson pursues them through the streets.

Key Events

• Tony Becomes Apprentice — Victor adopts Tony as a protégé and assassination apprentice. Characters: Victor Maynard, Tony Location: Temporary refuge
• Dixon Receives Revenge Contract — Ferguson hires Dixon to kill both Rose and Victor. Characters: Ferguson, Dixon Location: Ferguson's business setting
• The Trio Hides — Victor, Rose, and Tony hide in a luxurious hotel from Ferguson's men. Characters: Victor Maynard, Rose, Tony Location: Luxurious hotel
• The Hotel Hideout Exposed — The trio is discovered, and Ferguson begins pursuing them. Characters: Victor Maynard, Rose, Tony, Ferguson Location: Luxurious hotel
• Street Chase Begins — Ferguson chases the trio through the streets. Characters: Victor Maynard, Rose, Tony, Ferguson Location: City streets
• The Pursuit Ends in a Crash — A car crash grievously injures Ferguson while the trio escapes. Characters: Victor Maynard, Rose, Tony, Ferguson Location: City street

The Maynard House Siege

Dixon tracks the trio to the Maynard family home in the English countryside. Mother kills Dixon's henchman, while Dixon confronts Victor with the family's Mauser gun.

Key Events

• Dixon Tracks the Trio — Dixon follows the trio to the Maynard family home. Characters: Victor Maynard, Rose, Tony, Dixon Location: English countryside
• Mother Defends the Home — Mother kills Dixon's henchman during the invasion of the family home. Characters: Mother, Dixon Location: Maynard family home
• Dixon Takes the Mauser — Dixon grabs Victor's father's Mauser gun to kill Victor. Characters: Dixon, Victor Maynard Location: Maynard family home
• The Booby-Trapped Gun Fires — The clogged barrel makes the booby-trapped gun fire backward, killing Dixon. Characters: Victor Maynard, Dixon Location: Maynard family home

An Heir Appears

The booby-trapped gun kills Dixon, and Victor and Rose bury the assassins. Three years later, their son's violent instinct makes Victor smile with pride.

Key Events

• The Assassins Are Buried — Victor and Rose bury the two assassins. Characters: Victor Maynard, Rose Location: English countryside
• Three Years Later — Three years later, Victor and Rose are married and have a son named Angel. Characters: Victor Maynard, Rose, Tony Location: Outside the Maynard home
• A New Successor Emerges — Victor sees his son discreetly kill and bury the family cat and smiles proudly. Characters: Victor Maynard, Rose, Tony Location: Outside the Maynard home

Story Breakdown

• Assassin Family Legacy — Victor's identity is shaped by a celebrated family tradition of professional assassination and Mother's demands.
  • Victor's Inherited Profession — Victor continues the family line as a reclusive and highly skilled assassin.
  • Mother's Watchful Control — Mother pressures Victor to preserve the family's reputation.
• Rose's Dangerous Forgery — Rose's con against Ferguson creates the contract that drives the story.
  • Fake Rembrandt Sale — Rose sells Ferguson a forged Rembrandt for £900,000.
  • Ferguson's Vengeance — Ferguson responds by commissioning Rose's assassination.
• Contract Meets Romance — Victor's professional mission collapses when his intended victim becomes the person he loves.
  • Repeated Missed Opportunities — Victor repeatedly fails to kill Rose despite having opportunities.
  • Victor Abandons the Kill — Victor gives up the contract after falling in love with Rose.
• Tony Joins the Escape — Tony enters the protagonists' dangerous lives and becomes part of their improvised group.
  • Street Encounter — Victor meets Tony while thwarting another assassin's attempt on Rose.
  • Apprentice Chosen — Victor adopts Tony as a protégé and teaches him the assassination business.
• Ferguson's Escalating Hunt — Ferguson expands his revenge campaign by hiring Dixon and pursuing the trio personally.
  • Dixon's Revenge Contract — Dixon is hired to kill both Victor and Rose.
  • Hotel And Car Chase — The trio is discovered at a hotel, leading to a street chase and Ferguson's crash.
• Maynard House Showdown — The final confrontation brings the rival assassins to the Maynard family home.
  • Mother Kills Henchman — Mother defends the home by killing Dixon's henchman.
  • Booby-Trapped Mauser — Dixon's attempt to shoot Victor backfires because of the clogged, trapped gun.
• Violent Family Continuity — The immediate danger ends, but the final family scene suggests that Victor's legacy will continue.
  • Burial In The Countryside — Victor and Rose bury the two assassins after the showdown.
  • Angel's Hidden Act — Victor proudly observes his son kill and bury the family cat.

Directed by

Jonathan Lynn

Key Cast

• Bill Nighy — Victor Maynard
• Emily Blunt — Rose
• Rupert Grint — Tony
• Rupert Everett — Ferguson
• Eileen Atkins — Mother