Target

This is a great action/thriller that should not be missed. Hackman is an absolute gem as a modern day "dad" confronted with his past. The storyline and dialogue are fast crisp and move along at an ever increasing pace. There's no need to think. Just watch and let the film grip you and take you on a thrill ride into the Cold War and how one man can affect the present with the talents of his past. A great supporting cast and excellent "mood" photography. Gayle Hunnicutt is beautiful and Matt Dillon so convincing you sometimes want to smack him. Gene Hackman is one one our most versatile and distinguished actors and if you want to see him do his thing; here it is. Enjoy and congrats to Arthur Penn for brilliant direction.

When Gene Hackman is unmasked by his son, played by Matt Dillon, that he is a former CIA agent he suddenly has a different view of his father. Hackman has to trace down his kidnapped wife and Dillon comes along for the ride. Hackman and Dillon make a good and sometimes funny team as father and son. This movie doesn't seem to be known very well, but it deserves a fair shake just like any other movie. It isn't the best movie in the world, but it isn't the worst movie either. If any one actually gets on this page and reads this comment I suggest they go find this movie to rent and see what I'm talking about.

OK; it IS a bit trite, but still an edge-of-the-seater nonetheless. Surprises galore to keep your imagination occupied, though thriller buffs will predict most of them. I found that part of the fun: keeping score of how many "surprises" i anticipated. Still, the denouement packs punch and satisfies. Great performances by most of the cast, esp. Hackman, who always has that knack of being 'perfect' for the part, doesn't he? and Damon, very apt in this early role. The art direction is superb, the location shooting very convincing. If you like thrillers/whoodunits you WILL be entertained. I gave it only a 7 because reading Sartre is probably a better use of two hours....

"Target", from writers Howard Berk and Don Petersen, is an intelligent spy thriller that conjures up memories of the best war time efforts, yet never quite gets into enthralling or gripping gears, suffering as it does from a rather obvious conclusion. Gene Hackman is one of my favourite screen personas, and even though he is not at his best here, he is still good. Matt Dillon's turn is one of his best, Josef Sommer reprises a familiar role while a promising Gayle Hunnicut doesn't get to do enough. Director Arthur Penn is unable to maximise the potential of this clever premise. Though in some scenes he does well, at times surprising and even thrilling us, "Target" simply lacks a touch of class. Perhaps in other hands (Lumet or Pollack) this could have been something. Wednesday, October 22, 1997 - Video

Missed seeing this film over the years as I am a big fan of Gene Hackman, (Walter Llyod/Duke Potter),"Absolute Power", who plays the role as the average husband and wife with a son who is not very close to his father at all. Matt Dillon,(Chris Llyod/Derek Potter),"Loverboy", plays the son and Gayle Hunnicutt(Donna Llyod) "Dream Lover", is the wife who tries her very best to get her Walter to become closer to their son Chris. Donna disappears while she is on a tour in a foreign country and then the story gets quite complicated with lots of guns going off and plenty of car chases and great photograph in Germany and France. This film builds you up as you start getting interested and sort of goes down hill real fast. I like Gene Hackman and that is the only reason I decided to finish seeing this film.

The concentration on character and family values in Arthur Penn's spy thriller ought to make it a better, more intelligent movie, but somehow it doesn't work. Gene Hackman is an ex-CIA spy who's been "in from the cold" for 15 years. But now his wife has been kidnapped in Paris, and he has to get back into top gear in order to retrieve her. He also has to tell the truth about his past to his 18 year old son (Matt Dillon), who hitherto has thought his dad as much a man of action as Mr Magoo. There are all the contrivances we expect in this genre of film - repeated attempts on Hackman's life; car chases; femmes fatales; CIA agents who might be working for the other side; etc, etc. But little tension is developed, and first the recriminations and then the bonding between Hackman and Dillon simply slow the action down. I found the climax a tad ludicrous, but by that time didn't care much.

This movie is often dismissed as just an average Cold War spy flick. But in fact it is quite a bit more than that. It can well hold its own, thanks to the solid direction and first-rate performances by Hackman and Dillon. These two never disappoint and seem to have had fun working together. They relaxedly fill in all the little character incongruities. The story is interesting, but could have used much more exact local detail instead of this chain of insipid cutouts from travel brochures. The locals, but also the spies talk and behave like cardboard figures and tend to lessen the atmosphere a little. The same goes for a lot of the locations. Recommended for fans of Dillon and Hackman, but also for those of you who like a solid spy movie.

The performances of Matt Dillon and Gene Hackman brought this film right over the top for me. Dillon's character grows from being an obnoxious teenager, who sees Dad as an un-hip set of car keys with a hand attached to them, through the astonishing realization that Dad just may be "James Bond". And Gene Hackman brings his blazing talent to the table, unfolding from a middle-aged, pokey, conservative, 35-mile-an-hour, aw-shucks businessman into a multilingual, multitalented super-spook. The two interact perfectly! As they face dangers and intrigue together in a wild ride across the globe to save Mom, it is a delight to see them discover and appreciate the depths of each others' characters and become friends and partners. "Saving Mom", was almost irrelevant!