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The Target

2003, Movie, R, 94 mins

The Target: Review

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This inert action movie has the unmistakable air of an international co-production/tax write-off: foreign locales, aging headliners, a plot that could be jotted down on a napkin and an unsurprising surprise ending. Hired gun/bodyguard Alex Laney (Christopher Lambert) never recovered from witnessing the assassination of his parents, two liberals who stepped on the wrong political toes. A loner since childhood, Laney's only loyalty is to his client du jour. Capetown money manager Robert Nile (Dennis Hopper), who's about to testify against crime lord Cristo Nichol (Simon Hajiba) in a South African courtroom, needs protection and engages Laney's services. Cristo has made a point of eliminating any paper trail that could incriminate him, so he's determined to ensure Nile's silence. First, Cristo's minions fatally beat the boyfriend of Nile's estranged daughter, Erika (Diane Kruger). Shortly before chauffeuring Nile and his daughter to a safe retreat, Laney takes a bullet for his boss; when the extent of his injuries becomes apparent, Laney's clients take over the driving. To their surprise, the residents of their remote destination regard Nile as a patriarch; during his recuperation, Laney falls in love with Erika and witnesses her father's good qualities first-hand. When the government can no longer hold Cristo in custody, the voodoo-practicing felon decides to do his own dirty work and kill the star witness against him. Cristo guns down local cops before Nile can travel to a deposition, while Laney recovers a long-buried memory that could jeopardize his willingness to continue serving Nile. Although the lush African scenery is easy on the eye and director Jean-Pierre Roux stages some gripping chase sequences, screenwriter Brad Mirman's ironic twist ending is contrived and Lambert and Hopper phone in their performances. leave a comment --Robert Pardi
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