utgard14 Peter Bogdanovich's first credited directorial effort is Boris Karloff's last great film. A split story of an aging movie star (Karloff) wanting to retire and an unhinged sniper (Tim O'Kelly) going on a shooting rampage. The two stories intersect brilliantly in the film's climax. Watching this you would think the director was an old pro, not a novice. Bogdanovich, who also acts in the movie and does a surprisingly good job, makes the most of the limited budget he was given. He also makes clever use of footage from Karloff's movies The Criminal Code and The Terror. Karloff is fantastic in a role that would be a perfect coda for his career. Yeah he made some more forgettable low-budget horror movies after this but this is such a perfect final film for him that I prefer to think of it as such. O'Kelly is also good in his only notable film role. It's a remarkable movie that's multilayered and perhaps as timely today as it was then. If you enjoy Karloff then, of course, it's a must-see.

STCorcoran88 Karloff plays an aging icon of the older style horror films of the less graphic, more spooky variety, which has seemingly been rendered obsolete, and, literally under assault, in the film, and unable to frighten or be possessed of any meaning, when contrasted, as the film does, against the more topical horrors of the day typified by a Charles Whitman type, Vietnam vet, who snaps, and turns his sniper training to good use, inflicting terror on the community via a string of r long range killings, against random victims; an an Ed Wood, Lugosi vibe is present in the depiction of a up and coming director, played by Peter Bogdanovich playing Himself,at the time, pretty much, as a film fan doing hackwork, He was, at the time, shooting B-pictures for Roger Corman.

lemon_magic I ended up admiring "Targets", but to me, the screenplay stumbles coming out of the gate.While it's always fun to see Karloff no matter what he's doing, there's just too much self indulgent "Hollywood insider" nattering in the first 15 minutes of the film. I realize this kind of wheeling and dealing was vitally important to a young director trying to get his career established, but I can only see so many temper tantrums based on whether or not some show biz figure is going to make "an appearance" at a stupid drive-in opening. This is pop culture, guys, not cancer research.Still Bodanovich and his cinematographer have so much on the ball that they managed to pull me in with the second story thread about the sniper. It's presented in a flat, unemphatic style that doesn't question motive or sanity, but just works out the mechanics of the sniper's preparations with a cold, clinical eye. And once the carnage begins, the action is presented in a way that both keeps the viewer completely clear about what is happening and who is doing what, but at the same time lets him experience the chaos and confusion of the situation.Also it was fun to see big chunks of "The Terror" presented in a different context as well as a glimpse of karloff in "The Criminal Code" (which I had never seen).Alas, while the final sequence where Karloff's character sees the sniper and disarms him is great fun (and is presented in a way that helps minimize the "oh sure" factor), the ending doesn't really justify all the build up before it. I wasn't expected "answers", mind you...but somehow the ending seemed both too pat AND too ambiguous.Still, Karloff and Kovacs and Bogdanovich made for an interesting combination, and I'm glad I finally saw this one.

Coventry Pretty much like his semi-autobiographical character Byron Orlok, Boris Karloff should have retired in beauty and style. "Targets" would have been the ideal swan song to Karloff's long and masterful career, but unfortunately there were still a handful of other and extremely inferior horror movies added to his resume, like the abysmal "Isle of the Snake People" and "Cauldron of Blood". "Targets" is his last great film and also the final film in which he noticeably feels comfortable and motivated to act. In practically all of this other post-1965 appearances, Boris Karloff already looked more dead than alive, but here you can tell he clearly wanted to play this role. Many, many thanks to writer/director Peter Bogdanovich who – under the protective supervision of Roger Corman – cast Boris Karloff in a role that couldn't have been played by anyone else, except maybe Vincent Price (like Bogdanovich own supportive character even funnily mentions at one point during the film). Byron Orlock is an aging and stubborn who's convinced there isn't any interest anymore in the grotesque Gothic villain monsters he portrays. After the test screening of his latest film, Byron suddenly announces his retirement much against the will of his producers, personal assistant and a young aspiring director who just finished writing a screenplay especially for Byron. They all urge him to reconsider his decision, and at least make it to his planned public appearance at a drive-in theater. Meanwhile, in the same city, young and confused weapon-freak Bobby Thomson is about to snap mentally. He bought a trunk full of artillery and wrote a letter warning people that many will die before they catch him. After randomly having shot people in cars from the top of an oil reservoir, Bobby flees from the police and hides out in the drive-in theater. "Targets" is loosely based on the tragedy caused by Charles Whitman, who killed and wounded over forty people in Texas on August 1st, 1966. Perhaps the US was still too much in a state of shock to realize, so shortly after these ream events, but "Targets" makes a powerful statement regarding the alienation of youth and the largely uncontrolled weapon legislation. I encountered some criticism stating that the two stories are largely unconnected and that particularly Karloff's story is random and irrelevant. I heavily object, since Byron Orlock physically represents the old-fashioned definition of horror, creepy old madmen safely entrenched in their Gothic castles, whereas Bobby Thomson embodies the new and grueling type of horror which we sadly are confronted with on a near daily basis. "Targets" basically builds a symbolic bridge between vintage horror and modern terror, and it's truly fantastic that Boris Karloff helped building it. The sniper sequences are immensely disturbing, especially opposed to the cheesy borrowed footage of Corman's "The Terror" playing at the drive-in, and the film bathes in a genuine ominous atmosphere whenever the character of Bobby Thomson walks into the screen. The interactions between him and his wife are saddening, uncomfortable and unsettling all at the same time. Personally, I always thought "The Last Picture Show" was Bogdanovich's only true masterpiece, but that was before I laid my hands on "Targets". This film is even better.