Target ** (1985, Gene Hackman, Matt Dillon, Gayle Hunnicutt) – Classic Movie Review 7310

Director Arthur Penn’s 1985 Target is a tolerable but off-target thriller from the director of Bonnie and Clyde, who goes into overdrive to try to provide action thrills, which nevertheless just are not there. It has to count as a disappointment from this pedigree.

Bonnie and Clyde co-star Gene Hackman is reliable as ever as Walter Lloyd, the ex-CIA man who has to set out to try to rescue his wife Donna Lloyd (Gayle Hunnicutt) who is kidnapped while in Europe. Matt Dillon is OK as his son Chris, who finally gets close to his dad in the family adversity. In an ungrateful role, Hunnicutt is almost forgotten about by the writers.

All that is really missing in Target is a taut, believable script and better direction. Hackman and a few solid action sequences keep it watchable. Alfred Hitchcock could have turned this into a contender.

The low-credibility, low-excitement screenplay is by Howard Berk, Don Petersen and José Luis Navarro, based on a story by Leonard Stern.

Also in the cast are Josef Sommer, Guy Boyd, Herbert Berghof, Viktoriya Fyodorova, Brad Williams, Randy Moore, Ilona Grübel, Tomas Hnevsa, Robert Ground, Véronique Guillaud, Charlotte Bailey, James Selby, Ray Fry, Jacques Mignot, Robert Liensol, Ullrich Haupt, Werner Prochath, Catherine Rethi, Richard Münch, Jany Holt and Jean-Pierre Stewart.

Hackman also starred as Buck Barrow in Penn’s 1967 gangster classic Bonnie and Clyde, the film that made his name.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7310

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com