Peter Bogdanovich’s debut feature gets its long-overdue Blu-ray release from the BFI, and it’s packed to the rafters with bonus features and is an essential purchase.
A controversial event at the time of release, the story follows two strands: the first is an ageing horror actor, Byron Orlock, who has become disillusioned with the world (played wonderfully by Boris Karloff in one of his final major roles) and wants to retire and return to England. The second follows an unstable youth, Bobby (Tim O’Kelly), who has a seemingly perfect life but is obsessed with guns. The threads meet at a personal appearance by Orlock at a drive-in where Bobby is taking aim at the patrons.
Bogdanovich made a massive impact with this movie, but it would be rarely seen for quite a while due to the controversial nature of the story. However, no matter how powerful the sniper element of the movie is, it’s more a testament to how great an actor Karloff was. Essentially playing himself (with scenes from Roger Corman’s The Terror and Howard Hawk’s The Criminal Code added for historical accuracy), Boris is an amiable old actor who feels he can’t compete with the thrill-seeking of the modern-day audiences but whose humanity won’t allow him to let his fans down. O’Kelly’s Bobby, on the other hand, appears to have everything: doting parents, a pretty girlfriend, and a good job. The gun culture that he’s brought up in takes an obsessive turn. He calmly and calculatedly shoots both his girl and his mum before taking potshots at passing cars on the freeway. His depression and psychosis aren’t really delved into, making him all the more terrifying as he goes about his day as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
The BFI Blu-ray is certainly worth the long wait. As well as a pair of commentaries, one from the late director and a newly recorded one from author and critic Peter Tonguette, there is a wealth of informative featurettes. They’re not slight, either. A lengthy and interesting piece gives Karloff’s daughter Sara a chance to give the family side of the great actor’s career, and there’s a pair of audio recordings of vintage Guardian interviews held at the National Theatre in the seventies, one with Bogdanovich and the other Corman.
As an observation of old Hollywood and American society, Targets is even more on-point today than it was in 1968. This masterpiece should be in the collection of any fan of cinema.
Targets is available on Blu-ray from September 25th
