I find non-mainstream action movies hard to come by. A large majority of the non-mainstream movies I see in general are either horror or some sort of boy meets girl movie. Lets face it its much easier to throw together a group of stereotypical horror film elements (I’m talking about you Hatchet franchise) or alter the age old boy meets girls plot and have a movie (I’m looking at you Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached). For the record just because these types of movies have a lot of the same basics it doesn’t make them bad. Friends with Benefits was a very enjoyable movie in my opinion and much better than No Strings Attached. Now lets say a writer/director loves cornstarch with red food coloring. It’s much easier for them to work with said love in a horror movie, rather than an action movie. Therefore, when I get the chance to watch a non-mainstream movie I jump at it because to me it means that the writer(s)/director/producer(s) actually had to exert effort and create original elements; as opposed to simply assemble previous ones as the aforementioned movies did. So when Target Practice came my way I was excited to say the least. After watching the movie, as a whole I can definitely say that I wasn’t let down.
The movie centers around five friends that decide to go fishing for the weekend at a location none of them have ever been to and thus don’t know exactly how to find it. Along their search they pass by an army jeep that was pulled over onto the side of the road. After a short discussion they decide to turn around and see if the driver of the jeep needs help. This is when the non-stop action begins. There are some immediate casualties, the remainder of the group escape. One if injured and one is separated from the rest. The rest of the movie is filled with twists and turns some of which you can see coming, others that for better or for worse come out of no where.
As I said above, I happened to enjoy this movie. There was non-stop action, an original enough plot line, and descent acting. One of the best features of the movie that probably will be overlooked is the cinematography. It really helps to draw the audience in and make them feel like they are part of the action. For example, when some of the characters are peering out into the forest because they heard a noise or are trying to find some help the camera pans in an out. It gives you the sense of what the character is experiencing trying to decipher the vast wooded landscape.
Unfortunately just like that hot one night stand you caught chlamydia from there are some parts of this overall great experience that you’d rather didn’t happen. The attempt to create deeper characters through flash backs is an example. In some instances flashbacks work, think Family Guy they don’t really make sense but they work in context of the show. The flashbacks here don’t really work in my opinion. One in particular is when there is an entire flash back to essentially explain why no one will go looking for them until at least after the weekend. I think it would have been easier and made more sense to just simply say that they weren’t expected back until late Sunday night or something along those lines.
This ties in with the only other aspect I didn’t care much for, the dialogue. Have you even been watching a movie, TV show, or even observing people in public and just felt awkward despite yourself not having anything vested in what was going on? That’s how I felt watching parts of the movie. Check that most of the movie. It felt like the writer was trying too hard to make the dialogue sound natural but all does is making it sound very artificial. There were some scenes that weren’t meant to be funny but I found them to be just because of the dialogue. This is something that can easily be overlooked though considering the movie is chock full of action and doesn’t need much dialogue to convey what is going on.
Rating: Action movie that despite some flaws is better than most including some that you’ve seen in theaters. (6.5/10)
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