Target (1985) Warner Bros./Suspense-Thriller RT: 117 minutes Rated R (language, violence) Director: Arthur Penn Screenplay: Howard Berk, Don Petersen and Leonard Stern Music: Michael Small Cinematography: Jean Tournier Release date: November 8, 1985 (US) Starring: Gene Hackman, Matt Dillon, Gayle Hunnicutt, Josef Sommer, Guy Boyd, Viktoriya Fyodorova, Herbert Berghof, Iona Grubel. Box Office: $9M (US)
Rating: ***
Although Target hardly measures up to the other two Gene Hackman-Arthur Penn collaborations- Bonnie and Clyde and Night Moves- it’s a pretty good action-thriller in its own right.
At the time of its release in Nov. 1985, the only one of Penn’s movies I had seen was the lackluster Four Friends. I knew of his other films and how popular they were with critics and audiences. Target wasn’t popular with either collective. Critics tore it apart and audiences stayed away. I didn’t see it right away. I waited a couple of weeks before I decided to check it out one Sunday afternoon. I didn’t like it much back then, but I’ve developed an affinity for it over the years.
Hackman stars as Walter Lloyd, a lumberyard owner in Dallas. He lives a quiet, mundane life with his wife Donna (Hunnicutt, The Spiral Staircase) and college-age son Chris (Dillon, The Outsiders). As Donna prepares to leave for a trip to Paris, she asks her guys to spend some time together and try to bond. Walter and Chris don’t see eye-to-eye on many things; it’s a typical father-son relationship. Walter doesn’t agree with Chris’ decision to quit school to fix stock cars at the local racetrack. Chris thinks his father is boring and plays things too safe. Like I said, typical father and son stuff.
Late one night, Walter receives a phone call informing him that Donna has been missing for two days. He and Chris head to Paris to find out what happened to her. Once they arrive, things really start to happen. Somebody tries to kill Walter at the airport, but he manages to successfully dodge the attempt on his life. That’s when he figures out that his wife has been kidnapped. He visits the American embassy where he leaves word that “Duke is here.”
Shortly thereafter, he meets with the recipient of the message, his old friend Taber (Sommer, Witness). They briefly talk about Walter’s situation with Taber telling him and Chris to wait at their hotel for the kidnappers to make contact. Moments later, another attempt is made on Walter’s life. It’s a good thing Chris is there to save his ass. That’s when Dad finally comes clean and admits to his son that he used to work for the CIA. He left or the sake of his family with the agency giving them all new identities. Now, twenty years later, it looks like somebody found him and wants his attention. Well, they got it!
Target is an interesting albeit uneven movie; it’s a blend of espionage thriller and family drama. Penn was clearly trying to make something a bit different from the routine action fare that dominated cinemas around that time. I recall a good-sized list of action flicks that came out around the same time- e.g. Commando, Invasion USA, American Ninja, The Annhilators, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, To Live and Die in L.A. and Death Wish 3. He didn’t want Target to get lost in the shuffle, yet that’s exactly what happened.
Target isn’t one of those thrill-a-minute deals, but it does have a few decent action scenes. I like the chase scene in Hamburg when some bad guys go after Walter and Chris as they set out to meet somebody who might know something about the person or persons who kidnapped his wife. There’s another great bit where Chris watches helplessly as the killer that’s been stalking them finally gets the jump on his father…. or so he thinks.
Unfortunately, Target falters in its more dramatic moments. The scenes where father and son try to understand one another come off as clumsy. A long conversation Walter has with a woman he knew back in the day serves no real purpose other than reminding him of what could have been had he chosen not to leave the CIA. The drama part of Target isn’t bad in any way; it’s just an uneasy fit with the intrigue portion of the plot.
Hackman always turns in great performances and Target is no exception. He has an Everyman quality that makes him effective in any type of role. Unfortunately, I’m not so wild about Dillon’s performance. He’s a rather one-note actor. He doesn’t possess the dramatic gravitas necessary to play this kind of role. Also, it doesn’t help that his character isn’t too bright. Isn’t he the least bit suspicious when he keeps running into the same girl (Grubel) everywhere he goes? You could argue that he’s merely inexperienced, but common sense has to kick in at some point, right?
Its flaws notwithstanding, I enjoyed Target. It’s a more than adequate espionage thriller, ideal for weekend matinee viewing. It has a neat twist or two although more seasoned viewers will probably see them coming. No matter, Target mostly succeeds in what it sets out to do. So what if it’s not Penn’s best work? It’s still better than a lot of the crap that gets released these days.
