Target Number One

Well worth a watch! A credible account that was well depicted.

I can't speak for 80's Canada but it got 80's Thailand spot on. DEA and British customs were very active in Thailand at that time. They pressured the Thai police which,in turn, vigorously targeted foreigners, escalating the severity of relatively minor drug offences, and if they didn't have the funds to buy their way out of trouble, in they went. To divert attention from the real ( protected) players, to satisfy visable Thai compliance, to deter chancers and newcomers but predominantly to bolster publicity for Reagan and Bush's, well funded and highly lucrative "just say no! " "war on drugs."

There from 84 to 92. The film brought back a lot of memories, not least those shackles that Justin Jackson mentions in his review. I'd forgotten the peeling blue/green paint that was everywhere. The prison population seemed authentic apart from a lack locked up foreigners (among other nationalities lots of Nigerian mules were convicted around that time) the film depicts the situation and era very well.

"Target Number One" is a Biography - Thriller movie in which we watch a Canadian journalist trying to find out the truth behind the arrest of a Canadian man in Thailand. Everything seems very strange since his arrest happened in a very weird situation and under circumstances that cannot being explained by the authorities.

I liked this movie because it is inspired by true events, it had a nice, simple and interesting plot that is combined very well with a nice direction which was made by Daniel Roby who is also the writer. Regarding the interpretations of the cast, Antoine Olivier Pilon who played as Daniel Léger was very good and his interpretation was simply amazing, Josh Hartnett who played as Victor Malarek was equally good and Jim Gaffigan who played as Glen Picker was also good. Finally, I believe that "Target Number One" is a nice thriller movie with much of suspense that you will keep you in tense through the whole duration of it and I am sure that you will like it.

May not have the grip of a massive Hollywood thriller but it isn't far off. Engaging and well worth a watch. A solid 8 out 10.

If you're in the mood for a complex true crime thriller then Target Number One will fit the bill nicely. You'll have to pay attention though as there are lots of moving parts, many characters and broken time lines which can make it difficult to follow. Some of the characters break into French often without subtitles which is a bit anoying. Characters disappear never to be seen again and scenes end abruptly without conclusion. For all these faults I still enjoyed it and it's nice to see Josh Hartnet getting a leading role, if only in a low budget movie like this. I hope it leads to bigger and better things for him.

I remember reading the actual news from this incident back when I was in my late teens, early twenties. Victor Malarek did an incredibly good job at showing how incompetent Canadian officials who couldn't cause a significant dent in the drug trade coming from Asia into north america decided to use a straw man to create a fictitious incident in order to improve their image. The incident in itself and how it was covered back then by journalist Malarek was plain riveting. Unfortunately, the movie that was made about it is clearly not a top quality product and misuses the talent of great actors. Still worth watching just to learn about what happened.