Targets was a low budget film from Roger Corman's stable and when Corman gave the assignment to Bogdanovich, the infamous B-movie king didn't expect too much out of it. However, Bogdanovich had an interesting idea for the film and the support of Boris Karloff.
Targets tells two stories which collide in the climax; the first is the story of aging horror film star Byron Orlok (Karloff), a one-time cinema great who now appears in cheap movies; the second is the story of Bobby Thompson, a Vietnam War veteran who snaps one day and goes on a killing spree. The stories cross paths at a drive-in where what Orlok intends to be his final film is making its debut.
The second half of Targets is where the film becomes tense, where Bobby's rampage begins. It's an immensely terrifying premise because Bobby is shooting people in a dark drive-in while they sit in their cars; the sound of his rifle is drowned out by the motion picture itself.
As great as the premise for Targets is, it could have been simply an exploitative B-movie, but Bogdanovich was young, hungry, and eager to show what he could do behind a camera; the film is full of interesting photography which keeps the visuals from seeming flat. One of Bogdanovich's tricks to avoid expensive bullet effects is to zoom-in when people are shot, which gives the impression of the bullets striking targets without actually having to spend the money on make-up.
When I first came across this picture on cable I was mesmerized; despite being a Karloff fan, I knew nothing about it and the climax - when Orlok faces off against Bobby - was absolutely riveting. I'm petty enough to wish this was Karloff's last picture, but of course he went on to make a few more cheap-o horror flicks; at least Targets gave him one last great picture before the end.
I rewatched Targets to celebrate Halloween this year and it holds up. Check it out if you can.
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