I can't understand why this movie rated so highly. There is nothing of interest to me here.The script/story/plot is like a high schooler's project. The acting is scarcely believable. The direction and photography is all over the place, showing irrelevant meaningless details which obscure the main thrust of the story and action. The whole premise of the Boris Karlof character is particularly incredible (I mean lacking in credibility), and whose only purpose seems to be to enable a "clever" 10 second shot near the conclusion, where the real-life character simultaneously echoes the actions of the same actor on a movie screen.I really am lost for words... it is actually rather difficult to meaningfully criticise something as mediocre as this.

After an entire career of doing horror, Byron Orlok(Karloff) wants nothing other than to retire. He agrees to one last public appearance, at the showing of his work at a drive-in. Nearby a seemingly normal man is about to snap. And the worse news is that he's good with a sniper rifle. It is obvious enough how these two plot-lines will meet, though they will lead to a bit of a letdown of a climax. Really, this kind of just... stops. The aforementioned is an odd mix, anyway, and for the explanation we need look no further than how this came to be. Roger Corman approached Peter saying he had to use footage from The Terror and film Boris for two days, and then he could do the rest over a few days. He had to figure out how to make the combination work, and this is what he came up with. That in mind, he did a great job, and really, the majority of this is well-done. It's pretty well-paced, never leaving you bored. Tension is built well(the lack of score, other than radio, works really well), it's shot and edited nicely enough(using guerrilla techniques! And applying tips from Hitchcock and Hawks, making it superior to average low budget pieces), and it is genuinely funny when it tries to be. Acting is fine(well, with a couple of stand-out performances, the British gentleman is fantastic, and the gunman is memorable). It is exciting, effective, shocking and honestly does surprise you. The 86 minute running time passes quickly, and the details and realism work in its favor. There is a lot of bloody violence in this. The DVD comes with an interesting commentary track and a good 13 and a half minute introduction, both by Bogdanovich. I recommend this to fans of thrillers. 8/10

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.

Todays audiences are often over-fed on the shocking tragedies which typically explodes directly from the newspapers. That is pretty much what one gets from life and then having to compare it with real life misery. In this combined effort, called " Targets ", Director Peter Bagdonovich and writer Polly Platt team with a legend of horror, Boris Karloff who plays Byron Orlok an aging film actor who up and decides to retire from movies. While he is shocking his entourage who depend on him for continued employment, Bobby Thompson (Tim O'Kelly) an insecure mentally troubled, young man explodes by killing his family and then goes on a shooting rampage. The movie is vastly underrated as Karloff gives a surprising performance. With the Classic Jack Nickelson horror film, 'The Terror' playing at the Drive-In background, Thompson imitates real life horror with a murderous killing spree. The film and the director's tale interact well and with the addition of the several cast members including Nancy Hsueh as Jenny, James Brown, Arthur Peterson and even Bogdanovich as Sammy Michaels, they allow audiences a final offering of a bygone actor. ****