Running Target

Whoa, first commenter missed the point of this movie entirely...Jaynes is a killer with a license and a high powered rifle, and volunteers for this manhunt for one reason. To kill. The sheriff has seen him in action many times, doesn't want the dude around, but Jaynes weasels in anyway, thus we have a built in conflict from the start. Three of the escaped convicts aren't murderers, just people seeing a chance at freedom and taking it. The sheriff want's to round them up without bloodshed, he's aware that we all share a common bond regardless of our situations. Yep, we also have the love triangle thing, the jealousy, and many other aspects rolled into this movie, but the main theme is that we all screw up now and then, we're all human, and we shouldn't kill others for the pure enjoyment of pulling the trigger and watching them hit the dirt. That's what Jaynes thrives on, and why the sheriff smashes his high end rifle to bits on a rock toward the end of the movie. Overall theme? There is good and bad in all of us, it just flourishes in different degrees. Trivia: Murvyn Vye couldn't cut the roll of Jaynes, and was fired, replaced by Reeves, who had a very small role in the movie up to that point. He took it and flew with it, did an excellent job portraying the sociopath, the remorseless killer. Of the many movies that were based on Steve Frazee stories, this was one of the best, a sleeper b budget flick that stuck to the script thanks to the insight of budding director/cameraman Jack Couffer, and the killer camera-work of upstart Conrad Hall.

In modern day, a posse of four men and a woman track four escaped convicts through a rugged mountain region.

The flick has one overriding virtue-- the gorgeous mountain scenery of south-central Colorado, beautifully photographed in Technicolor. In fact, the entire runtime never leaves the alpine setting, at least as far as I can tell. For a budget production the location expenses for cast and crew seem a rather daring gamble. Too bad the screenplay fails to approach the exquisite complexity of the setting.

On the whole, I agree with reviewer drystyx: the main characters are strictly one-dimensional, especially Franz's unbelievable sheriff. After all, if his humanitarian values so detest violence, what the heck is he doing as a sheriff where violence is inevitable. Worse, why doesn't the script at least give us a hint as to why he's now something of a pacifist or why he stays on as sheriff. That would have projected both an interesting and more believable character. As things stand he's something of an unfortunate caricature. Ditto for posse member Reeves' gun-loving killer. No complexity there either. When he and Franz clash, which is most of the time, it's more like two simple ideas clashing than two actual people.

Anyway, the movie's a payday for a number of fine villainous types of the day-- Reeves, Anderson, Healey, and Roth. Too bad another fine villain of the day Murvyn Vye's part appears edited down to a single frame (see reviewer efrazee for an explanation).

On the other hand, Dowling's shapely toughie amounts to the most interesting of the posse. At first I thought she was cast just to get a pretty woman for us guys instead of all the ugly men. But that climactic scene, shot from a distance, where she dances in a dress with escaped con Kaygo is inspired, implying as it does a secret motivation beyond our knowing. On the whole, the screenplay seems to be nibbling at something profound but without knowing how to bite. Too bad.

(In passing- in 1948 there was a big breakout from Colorado's state prison in Canon City. I mention this because Running Target was shot close by CC, perhaps inspiring the movie's breakout theme. In fact, a pretty good 1948 film, Canon City, focuses on that same event.)

Do yourself a favor and read the short story by Steve Frazee this flick was based on: My Brother Down There. I stumbled across it and was really impressed, which is why I searched out this movie. Frankly, the movie doesn't capture the magic of the story but it does provide an added dimension that is interesting. There is no female character in the story so I was skeptical right off. Turns out, it doesn't hurt the overall flick. So, if you're disappointed in the flick don't discount the short story.

Was curious about this movie because Richard Reeves had third billing for it. In dozens of movies he had played small parts of bad news enforcers . Usually it takes only one look at him to know he is looking for an excuse to be violent. For the most part in those movies his lines added up to only a minute or two so how would he do in this movie. Maybe having a bigger part would show that he was in above his head and disappoint . Glad to report that Richard Reeves did not miss a beat in a continuation of playing the heavy very well. The bigger part in the movie even calls for one character to analyse him and it seems very accurate . Reeves did have one line that made me laugh out loud ,that was different. If there is another Richard Reeves fan they need to see this movie. As far as the rest of the movie goes the viewer is on their own. Character study may find that Reeves part is the easiest to understand.

Arthur Franz seemed to like a variety of roles, and tried to make each of his characters into something larger than the character should naturally be.

That seems to be the case here, as he plays the professional lawman, the sheriff, leader of a posse after four escaped convicts, all of whom are very dangerous.

This is a bizarre script, and not really believable, as the chief characters are all very one dimensional. The sheriff, even if he's an elected official, is way too complacent and passive towards men who are proved to be dangerous. The woman is a packaged feisty Hollywood cliché who gets soft only when it's a Hollywood scenario. The antagonist sharp shooter is so unstable that one can't imagine him being allowed in the posse.

That said, it is watchable, and there are a few good bits. The most telling bit is when a bank robber brags that he never had to shoot anyone, in a jibe against the sharp shooter.

The character of the sheriff is ridiculous, and it's hard to say more without spoilers. It's just a silly script. At first we get the feeling that they're all basket cases escaped from an asylum, except the two minor members of the posse seem fairly normal.

The sentiments echoed by the sheriff have a passiveness that isn't bad, but just doesn't ring true of a lawman, and also are out of place in the situation.