Target (1985 film)
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Film poster
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| Directed by | Arthur Penn |
| Produced by |
David Brown Richard D. Zanuck |
| Written by | José Luis Navarro (as Howard Berk) Don Petersen Leonard B. Stern |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Michael Small |
| Cinematography | Jean Tournier |
| Edited by | Richard P. Cirincione Stephen A. Rotter |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $13 million |
| Box office | $9,023,199 |
Target is a 1985 film directed by Arthur Penn. It stars Matt Dillon and Gene Hackman.
In Dallas, Walter Lloyd (Hackman) runs a lumber business. After checking out at the office, Walter stops by the local racetrack, where his college-age son Chris (Dillon) works repairing . He reminds Chris of his mother's departure for Europe that afternoon, and Chris meets him back at the house to send her off.
Though their relationship is slightly strained, the family is tightly woven and carry on amicably, although an underlying tension between father and son is hinted at. Before she leaves, Chris' mother asks Walter to "break through to the kid." Walter attempts to bond with Chris over the next few days, Chris staying at the house and going on a fishing trip with Walter.
That night, the two are awoken by a late-night phone call from Paris informing Walter that his wife has split from her tour group. Although he downplays it, Walter's fear for his wife's well-being is apparent and Chris picks up on it. Prying further, Chris gets Walter to admit that she has, in fact, been missing two days. With that, Chris and Walter decide to go to Paris to find her.
At the airport, Chris bumps into an attractive backpacker, who introduces herself as Princess Clara, leader of the Sparrow Revolution.
Walter, on the other hand, bumps into a shady man with a gun who shows Walter his wife's jewelry. A few seconds later, an odd-looking man in glasses points a gun at them and, in an attempt to kill Walter, shoots the man holding him up before disappearing. In a moment of uncharacteristic bravado, Walter kicks the dead man's gun under a jacket and scoops it up before anyone can notice. When Chris asks what's going on, Walter replies that it's probably a heart attack.
At the hotel, Walter writes a note telling Chris to stay for any messages, then leaves for the American embassy in Paris. Once there, Walter slides through the embassy with a casual, cavalier attitude, stopping to look at security while taking a drink at a fountain. He walks casually into the office coffee room, where he pours ketchup into a bag with a handkerchief, pretending it's evidence, and waltzes into the head office under the guise of working there. He tells the secretary that her boss is "family," and once inside the office, tells her boss that his wife has been kidnapped, and that "Duke is here".
Walter regroups with Chris at the hotel restaurant, where he tells him that his mother has been kidnapped, and tells him the real story about the shooting at the airport. Chris' reaction, as to be expected, is one of frustration and disbelief. At that point, the embassy's Director Barney Taber (Josef Sommer) enters and Walter (who Taber calls "Duke") and he embrace. He alludes to having seen Chris when he was a baby, and expresses sadness at his mother's kidnapping. Chris begins to tell Taber what's going on, but Walter covers up the conversation by telling him that he and Chris had been talking about something else. Before he leaves, Taber asks Walter what name he's traveling under.
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