Peter Bogdanovich’s Targets is at times hard to watch, particularly since we know that violence in America really hasn’t changed at all since film’s release. Whether or not the movie is anti-gun is left up to the viewer to decide, yet I feel this works best as a meta commentary on cinema and if the movies contribute to violence as much as easy access to firearms do. Some feel it’s the guns, yet other countries have just as much gun access as America does and far less public shootings. Perhaps it’s the people, and Bogdanovich’s classic doesn’t offer up any easy answers to the trouble questions it presents. Just a satisfying conclusion that felt straight out of a western, or even a horror movie. Very fitting that the star of this movie is Boris Karloff, who literally plays himself or a movie version of him at least. How theatrical, the actor wistfully remarking on his past while also quitting the business because he’s sick and tired of the movies he’s been making.
Tim O’Kelly though is the real star of the movie, and his lone gunman character is terrifying since we don’t know his motives or why he begins killing people. The lone fanatic who starts a mass killing spree is far scarier to me than any terrorist, particularly since with a terrorist you know their motivations, or can guess at them. I’m reminded of when a man put bombs in mail boxes years back, and when caught he didn’t offer up any particular reasons for doing such a horrible thing. Very odd that Bogdanvoich’s first movie wasn’t received critically at least, and it bombed too at the box office. Too bad, as it’s one of the best movies from 1968, and it left a stark impression upon me after I watched it back in November. Some may argue this isn’t a horror movie, yet I disagree, and I look forward to exploring more of Peter Bogdanvoich’s movies. Shot out to Criterion for the Blu-ray release, which looks great.
Down The Rabbit Hole 
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