Emily Blunt and Rupert Grint’s 2010 action comedy is the perfect casual watch on Hulu

Don’t let the generic name mislead you: “Wild Target” is a particularly entertaining watch that’s now available to stream on Hulu. From director Jonathan Lynn (“My Cousin Vinny”) and screenwriter Lucinda Coxon (“The Danish Girl”), this 2010 crime comedy is exactly the kind of laid-back entertainment to relax with, in the great tradition of light-hearted films just quite suspenseful films about British criminal circles. Instead of going full Guy Ritchie, “Wild Target” opts for a measure of old-world charm combined with a smart, funny plot – and, of course, big names to the gills.

The problem with “Wild Target” is that while it’s not what you’d call a critical darling, it’s precisely the type of movie in which an actor can let loose and have gleeful fun. Perhaps for this reason it benefits from a particularly impressive cast, even by British crime film standards. Here you’ll find the likes of “Harry Potter” veteran Rupert Grint, eventual Oscar nominees Emily Blunt (“Oppenheimer”) and Bill Nighy (“Living”), Martin Freeman (“Sherlock”), Rupert Everett (“An Ideal Husband”) and Rory Kinnear (“Men”). Some of them were already very well-known names at this point. Others were still at a slightly earlier stage in their high-profile careers. However, in this film, they all find themselves embroiled in a complicated plot of scams, assassinations, and an unfortunate child stuck in the middle of it all.

“Wild Target” is a good opportunity to see many of its stars perform unnaturally. In 2010, Martin Freeman was not Bilbo Baggins, Lester Nygaard, Everett Ross or Dr. John Watson. They were Tim from “The Office,” John the Stand-in from the movie “Love, Actually” and Arthur Dent from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” so not the one you’d automatically imagine playing the evil assassin Hector Dixon. Rupert Grint was still Ron Weasley and clearly relishes the opportunity to play Tony, an average underachiever who falls into an assassin’s apprenticeship. While she would go on to excel in almost every genre, from reprising the virtually perfect title character in “Mary Poppins Returns” to her pivotal supporting role in “Oppenheimer,” Emily Blunt’s big beats at the time were “The Devil Wears Prada” and “The Young Victoria.” So her turn as enthusiastic con artist Rose may have seemed like a departure at the time. Meanwhile, Bill Nighy, who has previously played everyone from tentacle-faced sea demons to aging rock stars and vampire overlords, trades some of his characteristic confidence and gravitas for an amusing side-order of awkwardness as hitman Victor Maynard.

Another great thing about the film is that everyone involved seems to be having fun. Blunt, Grint, and Nighy have easy chemistry, while Everett and Freeman balance smug intimidation and comedy with ease. Considering the actors’ body of work, it’s unlikely you’ll find this on a list of their greatest films, much less on a list of the best crime films of all time. Still, there’s value in a fun movie where the actors know precisely what kind of project they’re in, and that alone makes “Wild Target” worth watching.

“Wild Target” is available to stream on Hulu.