Target

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!

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.

A husband / father (Gene Hackman) and his estranged son (Matt Dillon) team up during an eventful trip to Europe. The wife / mom (Gayle Hunnicutt) has disappeared during a solo vacation, and they're determined to find out what has happened and why. They must dodge attempts on their lives as they work to solve this mystery.

A large part of the problem is a not-so-hot script, with its fair share of bad lines. "Don't get funny, get good." But it improves as it progresses, with a stronger second half, and some decent action sequences. (The third and final teaming of Hackman and filmmaker Arthur Penn, after "Bonnie & Clyde" and "Night Moves", certainly promised something more special than this.) Particularly effective are scenes with Hackman and the antagonist once they are revealed. It turns out, they don't have an unsympathetic motivation. Still, the twists here are plenty predictable, which works against whatever fun factor that Penn is able to generate.

Making the difference are the international settings (Germany, France) and the location usage, as well as a typically fine performance by Hackman. The star once again demonstrates his ability to be consistently engaging, whether playing a hero or villain. He and Dillon may not be the most believable father-son duo ever assembled for the movies, but they work together well enough. The supporting cast is just fine, although it must be said that Hunnicutt, as the victim who sets the plot in motion, is by nature of her role largely wasted. Providing able support are character actors Josef Sommer ("Witness"), Guy Boyd ("Body Double"), Herbert Berghof ("Cleopatra"), in his final film role, and Richard Munch ("Patton"), as well as an enchanting Viktoriya Fyodorova as Hackmans' old comrade; she and he do have good moments together.

One can do better than this if they're looking for an intrigue-thriller, but it's certainly not a total waste of time, either.

Six out of 10.

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.

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....