Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Jack Higginbotham Targets is trying to juxtapose the fictional monsters on screen with the real life, unsuspecting monsters in real life, Karloff sums it up in his final line 'thats who the drivers were afraid off' staring at what seems like an innocent young lad who had just moments before killed dozens of people.I think thats why the film works. Karloff wants to retire because he doesn't think he belongs in the world of cinema anymore, people don't find him scary because the monsters he portrays aren't real. Ironically I think people watch Frankenstein today to escape from the 'real horror' and into a world of ghosts, ghouls and monsters.The film itself is a good for the most part. I find myself wanting to see more of Karloff, because his character is so interesting while the character of Bobby is just a psychopath, who one day has a mental breakdown and goes on a shooting spree. Not that that kind of character cant be interesting but I don't think Bogdanovich cared about how or why the Bobby did what he did, he perhaps wanted to state that this happens and show what the real horror is, maybe trying to show the censors that people see stuff like this on the news everyday and yet they want to censor a film about a giant, green monster.Overall, Targets isn't revolutionary. It is, however, nice to see Boris Karloff having fun in his last role and the film is genuinely tense and quite horrifying in how authentic its depictions of violence can be.

Spikeopath Targets is directed by Peter Bogdanovich who also co-writes the screenplay and story with Polly Platt and Samuel Fuller. It stars Boris Karloff, Tim O'Kelly and Bogdanovich himself. Story is patterned around real life mass murderer Charles Whitman, who in 1966 murdered 16 people during a shooting rampage at the University of Texas in Austin.Cineaste Peter Bogdanovich's debut directing effort, sadly, to this day remains a topical hot spot. Released as it was just after the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, Targets carried much relevance even though it was hardly a success at the box office. Over the years it has come to gain a cult following that is much deserved, the low budget production value actually helping to keep it uneasily potent.Story is structured by way of two separate narrative threads, one sees Karloff as veteran horror film actor Byron Orlock, who sees himself as an anachronism and announces his retirement from movie making. His reasoning, warranted, is that his type of horror is way behind the times, the real horror is out there on the streets, bleakly headlined in the local newspaper. The other thread concerns Bobby Thompson (O'Kelly), a handsome boy next door type who has a pretty wife but finds himself unemployed and still living with his parents. He is a ticking time bomb, his mind soon to fracture and devastation will follow. The two stories converging for a bloody finale at a drive in movie theatre, where Orlock is making a special guest appearance, the old time horror of the movies coming face to face with the real terror of the modern world.Though uncredited by choice, the screenplay belongs to Fuller, something that Bogdanovitch has always been keen to point out, and it's with the writing where the film gets its quality factor. The messages within are serious and handled evenly by Bogdanovitch, his pacing precise and in Karloff he has the perfect icon from which to underpin the story. True enough the acting around Karloff is sub-standard, notably from the director himself, but with Bogdanovich deliberately keeping the psychological explanation for Bobby's actions vague, film manages to rise above its flaws to leave an indelible mark. 8/10

Michael_Elliott Targets (1968) **** (out of 4)The history behind the film is known by just about everyone as Roger Corman owned two more days worth of shooting with Boris Karloff so he told director Bogdanovich to make a movie with these two days as well as footage from THE TERROR. You'd expect a young director would just turn out another piece of junk but instead Bogdanovich decided to do something different and the end result is one of the best movies of its kind.The story has a veteran horror movie star (Boris Karloff) wanting to retire because in the current times people aren't afraid of fake monsters any more but a young writer (Bogdanovich) tries to talk him into one more picture. While this is going on a young man (Tim O'Kelly) from a normal family suffers a break down, packs up his guns and goes on a shooting spree. TARGETS has been called a love story to Karloff, a propaganda piece about gun control and various other things but there's no question that the film contains a terrific jolt that certainly grabs one by the throat and doesn't let go. The first two-thirds of the film are pretty much separate films as we bounce back and forth between the stories before the two finally meet at the end. Both sections of the story are terrific because they're so well made, raw and honest. If you're a fan of Karloff it's great fun seeing him playing someone who is basically himself. You can imagine him being unhappy with films like THE TERROR so seeing him react to a screening of it was fun as was another sequence where he's watching THE CRIMINAL CODE on television. There are several shots at low-budget horror films, which are pretty funny and one certainly feels like they're in the business because of all the behind the scenes stuff. The stuff dealing with the killer is also very strong stuff and intense as well. When he goes on the three killing sprees you can't help but hold your breath and even though the film is tame by today's standards you still get thrown for quite a jolt. The shootings are very raw, realistic and they come off extremely disturbing to watch. Bogdanovich does a masterful job with not only his direction of the material but the screenplay itself is quite good. It's certainly nothing ground breaking but it's the simple nature of it that makes it work so well made. The film really does have a documentary feel to it and this just adds to the creepiness of the material. Karloff's performance certainly ranks as one of the greatest of his career and it was the perfect way for him to end his career and one could only wish that this was his final picture but he went onto do some truly horrible Mexican films before his death. He has no problem playing himself but many actors say playing yourself is the hardest thing you could do. Karloff certainly fits the role perfectly and showed that he could still act when given the right material. O'Kelly gets very few lines but his quietness perfectly captures the killer mental state. The supporting cast fit their roles just fine as well. TARGETS might have meant to have been a cheap horror flick but thankfully the director decided to do something else instead. This is certainly a Roger Corman picture like no other and a film that contains a certain rawness that is hard to forget.

TheLittleSongbird My three favourite Peter Bogdanovich movies are The Last Picture Show, What's Up Doc and Paper Moon. But Targets is my fourth favourite film of his. While a tad too short, it is an excellent film, genuinely disturbing and immaculately crafted. It especially is graced by superb cinematography, great direction from Bogdanovich and a truly marvellous performance from Boris Karloff. The script is very good and the story has many admirable themes that to me are still relevant today. The ending is also very memorable, very involving emotionally and structurally. All in all, this is an excellent crime drama that clearly shows Bogdanovich's talents and for fans of Karloff they will like him very much here. 9/10 Bethany Cox