Target Number One

I remember reading the actual news from this incident back when I was in my late teens, early twenties. Victor Malarek did an incredibly good job at showing how incompetent Canadian officials who couldn't cause a significant dent in the drug trade coming from Asia into north america decided to use a straw man to create a fictitious incident in order to improve their image. The incident in itself and how it was covered back then by journalist Malarek was plain riveting. Unfortunately, the movie that was made about it is clearly not a top quality product and misuses the talent of great actors. Still worth watching just to learn about what happened.

The camera work is rough at major points in the film. Increasing the budget for an actual camera person rather than shooting it on someone's phone would make a big difference in the viewers experience.

If you're in the mood for a complex true crime thriller then Target Number One will fit the bill nicely. You'll have to pay attention though as there are lots of moving parts, many characters and broken time lines which can make it difficult to follow. Some of the characters break into French often without subtitles which is a bit anoying. Characters disappear never to be seen again and scenes end abruptly without conclusion. For all these faults I still enjoyed it and it's nice to see Josh Hartnet getting a leading role, if only in a low budget movie like this. I hope it leads to bigger and better things for him.

May not have the grip of a massive Hollywood thriller but it isn't far off. Engaging and well worth a watch. A solid 8 out 10.

It was a telling story of how possession of drugs in Asian countries can be penalized by harsh and hard sentences. I wanted to love this film, but I just could find my way to move the needle past the okay line!!