Target Practice

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.

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.

Directorial Debut of Rich Riedel is a winner. A minuscule budget doesn't hamper the fun as a group of friends head out to the woods for a little r & r and run into the unexpected. Yeah, we've seen this type of story played out before in the action and horror genres (this one , strictly action), but Riedel's version puts a fresh twist on it. He keeps you guessing as the woods seem to be more populated with friends turned enemies turned friends then one would imagine.

For a group of unknowns, the actors deliver believable performances. The camera is always in the right place and Riedel ratchets up the tension effectively.

It seems like these type of straight ahead action pieces are a thing of the past, what with everyone trying to blend genres and "Tarantino" the story lines and dialog (often with unwatchable results). In many ways, Target Practice is a valentine to the action films of yore. He doesn't try to reshape the genre, he just hits all the right beats at the right times. A blast.

all you Indies out there i would recommend seeing this one. tight editing and good cam work produces a nice action flick. saw it at Burbank and then again last month at a screening. goes to show what can be done with a smaller budget and some talent! if you dig Indies, like action, or you are becoming a filmmaker i would highly recommend seeing this film. for fun or education... good flick. i am glad to see that they are getting a good festival push. latest i heard the film is screening in two festivals Georgia and Honolulu... so good luck to them on those. keep an eye out for one of the stars, good guy and future action star Joey Lanai who has a good performance... director has got a good future in front of him.. hope to see him do some more action films.

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!