Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Michael Neumann It must be a popular daydream for bored family men facing their mid-life crisis: to be exposed as a dashing international spy beneath that humdrum suburban façade, with a chance to reveal your cloak-and-dagger expertise for a suddenly adoring young wife and now respectful teenage son. The idea might have worked as a deadpan comic fantasy, but the decision to play it straight resulted in a silly movie with nowhere near the credibility needed for intrigue of this sort. Hollywood might very well be incapable of producing a good, plausible espionage thriller (as of 1985, at any rate), and here's the evidence to prove it.

Jack Reich 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....

Bob Stout I can't add too much that hasn't already been said. A 1985 film, the plot should be familiar to anyone with or without basic cable by now. Where this film shines is in the relationships between the characters and the quality of the acting. Mind you, the plot and action aren't shabby, either, despite some comments here to the contrary.Perhaps this is merely middle-age fantasy - how many middle aged dads (or moms) haven't had the fantasy of showing their sullen kids how cool they once were and could be again if necessary? I was fortunate not to have any sullen kids (or grandkids), but I've been in this guy's place and I recognized the looks on both faces. (OK, I was never a spy or anything so overtly cool, but I did have my moments.) The point is that there come inevitable times in the relationships between kids and parents when the kids suddenly realize that the old folks may have actually been cool before the kids even knew what cool was all about, and that's the heart of this film.Contrary to some comments, the plot is quite coherent with only a few holes which I won't elaborate. Some of the carping about plot points I've read here must have come from people lacking in either imagination or comprehension. The action is credible both in its pacing and execution. Not Arthur Penn's best film, but this is as much of an actor's film as a director's film.The acting is uniformly good, but Hackman holds the center of the film. If he weren't completely believable, the whole effort would fall apart. Matt Dillon gives a very good performance as Hackman's son/foil, but isn't in the same league. The usually reliable Josef Sommer gives a surprisingly weak performance - OK, but not up to his usual work. The late Herbert Berghof (husband of Uta Hagen and co-founder with her of the eponymously named HB acting studio) gives a master class in his portrayal of a truly sympathetic, tortured soul - not much screen time, but a real gem. Another standout is Viktoriya Fyodorova, who offers some of the films most poignant scenes as Hackman's love-who-might-have-been, who devotes herself to helping him and his son find his kidnapped wife.Highly recommended, but it won't really resonate with the kids...

prunky What I like about Target, is its lack of contrivances. I thought it might be a credible portrayal of real characters. Yes, if I were a CIA agent wanting to forget my past life, I'd create one 180 degrees opposite. If I had a dad as boring as that, I'd also find it hard to relate. There aren't a lot of conventional thrill/action situations here, its emotional and psychological, and most of it works very well. I personally like the fact the violence is minimal in this film, but there is enough to keep you chilled. The cocky kid who 'knows' better than dad, resolves his feelings and relationship in the end while growing up, may not be fully developed, but I got the idea.The script was penned with 3 writers, no wonder some of the storyline may stray. But I liked the clear relationships between Hackman and Dillon and found them likeable and believable, never mind the mother gets lost somewhere.To compare this to a film in a similar genre, I'd go with Harrison Ford in Frantic, not the Eiger Sanction?!. I also want to complement Penn (or whoever is responsible) for using native speaking French and Russian actors, I get very irritated when productions in foreign countries use American actors with SO fake accents. Native tongue productions always convey a verite/credible feel.