Target is a long forgotten and little known film which came out in 1985. Starring Gene Hackman, Matt Dillon and Josef Sommer this has for a long time been one of my favourite thrillers. Hackman is absolutely fantastic in this, the scene in the airport where he goes from boring middle aged man to ex CIA expert is sold completely by how Hackman plays the scene purely using body language. Twists and turns abide in the plot as we join Hackman on his journey to trace his kidnapped wife. Set in Paris and Berlin and shot on location the film looks great and is scattered with memorable action scenes including a couple of car chases. On the downside Dillon comes across as a little wooden at times, the music is very dated and the beginning of the film for the first 10 minutes plays like a TV film. These minor gripes aside we have some snappy dialogue, good interaction between Hackman and Sommer and a nicely constructed plot. An understated stand out scene for me is a scene where Hackman and an ex lover who is also a spy reminisce on the past and what might have been between them in a different world. It is played beautifully and you really sense the regret between the two characters. In summary if you happen across Target i fully recommend you give it a go, bear with it for the first 10 minutes and you will be thrown into an exciting old school thriller with one of the greatest actors at the peak of his game.
Review of Target
