Early effort from writer-director Peter Bogdanovich who, at this stage, was just another raw, hungry new talent in need of both self-control and focus. Bogdanovich (who also appears in a small role) attempts to correlate the stories of two disparate characters: an ex-soldier turned sniper and a retiring horror movie actor (Boris Karloff) about to make his final publicity appearance at a drive-in theater. Why these two men should ever cross paths is apparently the key ingredient to what intrigued Bogdanovich to this type of material (the irony of it and so forth); however, he fails to make clear what the violent journey has meant in the end, or exactly how Karloff can bring clarity to the mind of this mad-dog killer. The director seems to be struggling to make a point about the effects of movie fantasy versus human alienation, but since this hasn't been much of an issue for two-thirds of the picture's length, the climactic events are muddled and not all that satisfying. Surely there are some coldly shrewd observations made here (most often visually, without dialogue), displaying Bogdanovich's wildly imaginative eye and a skill for storytelling through imagery (he also gets a world of help from his gifted cinematographer, Laszlo Kovacs). Unfortunately, the rudimentary aspects of the reedy plot are clumsily presented, and the movie gets off to such a heavy-handed start that one is never sure whether the tone is meant to be satirical or suspenseful. As a low-budget, early effort, the film definitely shows promise; seen today, we are able to gauge just how much growth was necessary on Bogdanovich's part--and how much ground he did indeed cover in just a few short years. **1/2 from ****
Review of Targets
