You know that feeling when you find out your dad isn’t actually the boring guy you thought he was? Most of us just discover our old man used to be in a garage band or once backpacked through Europe. In the 1985 movie Target, Matt Dillon finds out his dad is basically a lethal weapon. It's wild.
Honestly, if you haven't seen this one, you're missing out on a specific kind of 80s magic. Gene Hackman plays Walter Lloyd. On the surface, he's just a guy running a lumber yard in Dallas. He's stodgy. He's careful. He's the kind of dad who probably reminds you to check your tire pressure every single week. His son, Chris (played by a very young, very "teen heartthrob" Matt Dillon), can’t stand it. He thinks his dad is a total drag.
Then the wife gets kidnapped in Paris, and suddenly the "boring" dad is dodging bullets at an airport and driving like a professional rally racer through the streets of Europe.
The Target Gene Hackman Connection: Why This Duo Worked
The movie was directed by Arthur Penn. That's a big deal because Penn and Hackman already had serious history. They did Bonnie and Clyde together. They did Night Moves. When they teamed up for Target, people expected something prestige. What they got was a gritty, slightly messy, but totally engaging spy thriller that feels like a precursor to the Taken films, but with way more family therapy involved.
Hackman is the glue here. Without him, the movie might have just been another forgotten 80s action flick. He has this incredible ability to look like a "regular guy" while simultaneously looking like he could snap your neck if you touched his family. It’s that "everyman" quality that made him a legend.
A Disappointing Box Office but a Cult Legacy
Despite the star power, Target didn't exactly set the world on fire in 1985. It made about $9 million against a $12 million budget. To put that in perspective, Back to the Future was the king of the mountain that year with over $210 million. You've got to feel for the studio.
But money isn't everything.
The film has lived on because of the chemistry—or sometimes lack thereof—between Hackman and Dillon. Dillon was coming off The Outsiders and The Flamingo Kid. He was at peak "rebellious youth" energy. Putting him next to Hackman’s "disciplined operative" created a friction that felt real.
- Release Date: November 8, 1985
- Director: Arthur Penn
- Key Cast: Gene Hackman, Matt Dillon, Gayle Hunnicutt
- Filming Locations: Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, and Texas
What the Critics Missed at the Time
If you read old reviews, critics were kinda split. Some called the plot "implausible." Yeah, okay, maybe a lumber yard owner turning into a CIA super-agent overnight is a stretch, but isn't that why we go to the movies?
The real heart of the film isn't the espionage. It’s the "Mendelssohn" mystery and the way Chris (Dillon) has to reckon with the fact that his entire childhood was a lie. His name wasn't even his real name. He was born Derek Potter. Imagine finding that out while people are trying to assassinate you in a Hamburg train station.
👉 See also: Why Spicy Rom Com Books are Taking Over Your Bookshelf (And What to Read Next)
It’s heavy stuff.
The Action Still Holds Up
While modern CGI-heavy movies can feel like video games, the car chases in Target have a weight to them. They were shot on location in Europe. You can feel the cobblestones. There's a specific sequence where Hackman is driving and Dillon is essentially freaking out in the passenger seat that perfectly captures the shift in their power dynamic.
The "fiddler" scene is another standout. It uses a Mendelssohn concerto as a trigger for a decades-old CIA grudge. It's weirdly poetic for an action movie.
Why You Should Watch Target Today
If you’re a Gene Hackman completist, this is mandatory viewing. It’s one of those roles where he gets to show off his range—from the bumbling dad trying to connect with his son over a fishing trip to the cold-blooded professional who knows exactly how to handle a double agent like Barney Taber (played by Josef Sommer).
It sort of bridges the gap between the paranoid thrillers of the 70s and the high-octane action of the late 80s. It’s not as polished as The French Connection, but it’s more fun than a lot of the self-serious spy movies we see now.
Basically, it's a movie about a son finally seeing his father as a human being—a flawed, dangerous, and incredibly capable human being.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If this trip down memory lane has you wanting to revisit the world of 80s thrillers, here is how to dive back in:
- Check Streaming Services: As of early 2026, Target often pops up on platforms like Vudu (Fandango at Home) or Prime Video. It's frequently in the "bargain bin" digital sales.
- Look for the Kino Lorber Blu-ray: If you want the best visual experience, Kino Lorber released a remastered version that looks significantly better than the old grainy HBO broadcasts from the 80s.
- Double Feature Suggestion: Watch it back-to-back with Night Moves (1975). It’s another Penn/Hackman collaboration, but much darker. It helps you see how their creative partnership evolved over a decade.
Don't go in expecting Mission Impossible. Go in expecting a character study with car chases. You’ll have a much better time that way.