Target (1985)

Director:

Arthur Penn

Writers:

Don Petersen
Leonard Stern (story)
(more)

Release Date:

8 November 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

...A powerful new thriller [UK Theatrical]

Plot:

Chris Lloyd does NOT get along with his father Walter. Walter is too careful, cautious, and boring to Chris...

Plot Keywords:

Mendelssohn | Explosion | Silencer | Spy | American Embassy

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Walter Lloyd / Duncan (Duke) Potter
Matt Dillon	...	Chris Lloyd / Derek Potter
Gayle Hunnicutt	...	Donna Lloyd
Randy Moore	...	Tour Director
Ilona Grübel	...	Carla (as Ilona Grubel)
Tomas Hnevsa	...	Henke
Jean-Pol Dubois	...	Glasses
Robert Ground	...	Marine Sergeant
Véronique Guillaud	...	Secretary American Consulate
Charlotte Bailey	...	Receptionist
James Selby	...	Ross
Ray Fry	...	Mason
Josef Sommer	...	Taber
Jacques Mignot	...	Madison Hotel Clerk
Robert Liensol	...	Cafe Vendor
Guy Boyd	...	Clay
Ullrich Haupt	...	Older Agent
Viktoriya Fyodorova	...	Lise
Werner Pochath	...	Young Agent
Catherine Rethi	...	Nurse
Richard Münch	...	Colonel
Jany Holt	...	Proprietress Marie Louis Mansion
Herbert Berghof	...	Schroeder
Jean-Pierre Stewart	...	Ballard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dean Denton	...	Airline Passenger (uncredited)
Gabrielle Scharnitzky	...	Check-In Agent (uncredited)

Directed by
Arthur Penn

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Howard Berk
Don Petersen
Leonard Stern		story

Produced by
David Brown	....	producer
Richard D. Zanuck	....	producer

Original Music by
Michael Small

Cinematography by
Jean Tournier

Film Editing by
Richard P. Cirincione
Stephen A. Rotter

Casting by
Gene Lasko

Production Design by
Willy Holt

Set Decoration by
Gabriel Béchir

Costume Design by
Marie-Françoise Perochon

Makeup Department
Jean-Max Guérin	....	hair stylist
Paul Le Marinel	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Claude Albouze	....	unit manager
Bernard Farrel	....	production manager
Uwe Petersen	....	production manager: Germany
William Watkins	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gene Lasko	....	second unit director
Vincent Macheras	....	second assistant director
Alain Tasma	....	first assistant director

Art Department
René Albouze	....	property master

Sound Department
Bernard Bats	....	sound mixer
Richard Bats	....	sound mixer
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist
Lee Dichter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Neil L. Kaufman	....	sound editor
Dan Lieberstein	....	sound editor
Peter Odabashian	....	sound editor
Paul Trejo	....	sound editor
Steven Visscher	....	assistant sound editor

Special Effects by
René Albouze	....	special effects

Stunts
Claude Carliez	....	stunt coordinator
Michel Carliez	....	stunt double
Jo Cote	....	stunt double (as Joe Cote)
Fred Culbertson	....	stunt double
Fabrice Houy	....	stunt double (as Fabrice Huoy)
Michel Julienne	....	stunt coordinator
Rémy Julienne	....	stunt coordinator
Gérard Moisan	....	stunt double (as Gerard Moisan)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jean Fontanilles	....	gaffer
Etienne George	....	still photographer
Joachim Scholz	....	electrician
René Strasser	....	key grip

Editorial Department
Richard Friedlander	....	apprentice editor
William Kruzykowski	....	assistant editor
William S. Scharf	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Clifford Carter	....	musician: synthesizers (as Cliff Carter)
Norman Hollyn	....	music editor
Sonny Kompanek	....	orchestrator
Robbie Kondor	....	musician: synthesizers
Jay Rifkin	....	music engineer

Transportation Department
Fred Culbertson	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Jacqueline Gamard	....	script supervisor
Gene Lasko	....	special consultant
Allen J. Schwalb	....	financier
Jette Sorensen	....	production accountant
Claudine Strasser	....	script supervisor assistant

Production Companies

• CBS Entertainment Production
• CBS Productions

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• Concorde Filmverleih (1986) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox Video (1987) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Fox Video (1987) (West Germany) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment (1985) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (UK) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Citizens and Police of Corpus Christi, Texas, The  thanks
• Clinton Recording Studios  score recorded at
• Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport  thanks
• Hamburg Airport  thanks
• Hamburg Port Authority  thanks
• Intersound  additional music
• Laboratoires LTC  film processing
• Lanvin  Josef Sommer's wardrobe by
• Panavision  lenses and Panaflex camera
• Polizei Hamburg  thanks
• Port Autonome de Paris  thanks (as the Port Authority of Paris)
• Prefecture De Police De Paris  thanks
• Technicolor  prints

Also Known As:

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Iceland:14 | West Germany:12 (f) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

CBS Entertainment Production

Trivia:

The novelization of this movie, 'Target', was written by Stephen Hunter, and published by Warner Brothers, Inc., 1985.

Goofs:

Continuity: The pencil at the Duke's ear after sneaking to the attaché's office at the US embassy changes position with every cut.

Quotes:

Walter Lloyd:They gave us new papers, new jobs, new names. The works... everything.
Chris Lloyd:New names?
Walter Lloyd:Yeha.
Chris Lloyd:Oh, Oh. Wait a minute. We were at the hotel and Taber asked you, "What name?" This is not my name? What's my name?
Walter Lloyd:Derek, Derek Potter. I'm Duncan. This is where the "Duke" comes from.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Arthur Penn (1995)

Soundtrack:

That Old Black Magic

Interesting plot, average entertainment, with an excellent Hackman performance.

I'm a huge Gene Hackman fan and I remembered seeing this film many years ago and thinking it was quite cool, and when I saw the title in the paper again, I thought I would find out how right I was.

Well Hackman is once again excellent. He has such a natural and believable way about him in his roles that I find it hard not to be drawn into his character. He's definitely one of those actors who always plays himself, but it doesn't matter as his ability and style just carry it off without a thought. A truly great actor in my mind.

Matt Dillon is also very good, although his younger trademark look of startled deer is ever present.

The plot itself is a good one, in that Hackman plays Dillons father, a boring and very dull man with an equally dull job, in his sons eyes anyway. What quickly transpires is that he is not the speed limit sticking man that his son first thought, he is actually a ex CIA agent.

This change is done very well, with a short set piece in an airport. With the smallest of physical changes, Hackman flips from average father to confident and action ready agent. You can see it in his manner, and it shows his excellent capability as an actor.

The rest of the movie reveals the story as father and son are pulled deeper and deeper into his life, revealing the true extent of his agent activities. His son quickly realises that this is not the father he knew, and quickly grows from off-handedness to total rejection and then to acceptance again.

It is an interesting movie, and the plot is quite good with some interesting action sequences. Where it fails are some of the other actors and the hectic pace of the movie, it seems as though either in filming or editing that crucial parts of the movie have been missed or removed.

Big shame, but it is still good to watch for a Sunday afternoon movie. I think this may kick off my <i>watch every Gene Hackman movie</i> campaign.