Target Practice

Rich Riedel's promising directorial debut should please action fans and art-house connisseurs alike.

Riedel's primary experience is in editing, and it shows. The story is paced expertly to build up the maximum tension possible.

The acting is a bit uneven but there are some very strong performances here, notably from Eltony Williams.

The indie film world doesn't produce a whole lot of action films, so it's important to recognize the talents that do emerge so that they find success. An action film world populated solely by directors who came up through the studio system isn't what anyone needs. Riedel has a bright future.

Rich Riedel's TARGET PRACTICE has a simple premise - after leaving for a weekend trip to the mountains, five friends find themselves the unfortunate prey of an unknown predator. However, despite the seeming familiarity, thanks to superb characterization and execution, the story feels refreshingly urgent and, most importantly, human.

Particular credit must be given to Riedel. He worked as a literal one-man-band, covering all the key crew positions in addition to directing and writing the film. With all these responsibilities falling squarely on one person's shoulders, the film could have easily felt like a backyard home movie. While it is a little rough around the edges at points, Riedel reigns over the proceedings with such a sure hand that it never feels anything less than visceral.

The cast is equally as strong, giving excellent performances that help to round out the characters and propel the events forward at breakneck speed.

In short, TARGET PRACTICE is truly independent film-making at its finest.

It is rare that I actually register on a website to leave a review on a movie. This is that movie. It was by far the worst film I have ever seen. I want 90 minutes of my life back.

While the premise is sound, the execution was horrible. The acting was bad, the directing was bad, the script was bad, the editing was bad, even the sound engineering was bad. I could find nothing good at all in this film.

It seems like the whole movie was shot with one hand-held camera in shaky-cam/random-zoom mode. In one scene, the camera was not even focused on the actor that was speaking.

I was surprised by the 'good' reviews that this movie seems to have everywhere. They are not deserved. Do not waste your time on this movie.

I was lucky enough to see Target Practice some time ago and am very glad to know it is out in the wild for all to enjoy. A spiritual sibling of the great male-bonding gone way, way South movie "Deliverance", Target Practice moves the action into a post-9/11 world where the band of bro's out for a fishing trip are faced, not with sodomite hillbillies, but with home-grown terrorists training for all manner of nefarious acts.

Director Rich Riedel steers clear of Boorman's "men have lost touch with their caveman selves" pathos and, instead, focuses on the action. He knows how to frame a shot and edit the hell out of a scene to maximize the tension. The cast is professional across the board and relatively believable while doing all manner of violent acts. The picture is gorgeous to look at and the wilderness setting really pops in high def.

Do yourself a favor. Gather your closest male buddies, buy a couple cases of beer, fire up the BBQ, and watch Target Practice!

I can see why this one divides people. No robots, massive explosions, or big-name stars. Just relentless mounting tension and a surprisingly intelligent script dealing with the scary topic of terrorist training camps in our own backyards. A group of friends head off into the mountains on a weekend fishing trip, already at odds with each other over a variety of issues, ranging from mundane things like stopping for bathroom breaks to more serious arguments over racial prejudice. When they almost run into a vehicle that's been left on the side of a mountain road, the argument becomes whether they should stop to see if anyone needs their help or just keep going.

They end up doing the good samaritan thing and it costs them big time; minutes after stopping, they find themselves the targets of a bloody ambush and the survivors are running for their lives through the forest. From that point on, the characters are battling for survival, trying to figure out who's hunting them down, and why, and facing a series of increasingly nerve-wracking, horrific discoveries. The level of suspense that the film generates is, at times, staggering.

The camera-work may be off-putting to some. It's not herky-jerky as in the Bourne movies, but it moves restlessly, picking out a subtle hand movement here, a nervous flitter of someone's eye there. And for the most part, the actors are previously undiscovered newcomers, which is to be expected in an ultra-independent film like this (ala "Blair Witch" or "Paranormal Activity"), but they're all very good. A couple of them are excellent, and there are some unexpectedly touching moments of genuine emotion between them.

If you need your toys to have lots of noisy whistles and blinking lights and to come in big boxes with shiny red ribbons, this one probably isn't for you. If you like your action films to be a little more well-developed, edgy, and thought-provoking, you'll really appreciate this tense little trip into the woods.