A Brilliant Conflict

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

The Plot.Wife of successful NZ businessman is seduced by fellow American after "chance" meeting in park. However, Greg has more than love-making with the beautiful Christine in mind.Well, it's certainly a pretty movie. Nice shots of New Zealand country and city sides.Unfortunately, Simone Griffeth who is naked through a good portion of this film looks like she's well into her 50s only she was just in her 30s when this movie was made.It's sort of a nothing movie that will not give you one ounce of suspense. It's a story that's been done a thousand times and needs a way hotter chick and psycho to be interesting.

HOT TARGET is a UK/New Zealand co-production masquerading as an American thriller, although the British accents in the cast and the surroundings will make the viewer soon realise we're not in Kansas anymore, so to speak. This one's a forgotten addition to the short run of revamped film noirs that were popular in the 1980s following on from the success of the POSTMAN RINGS TWICE remake and BODY HEAT.This was put out by Crown International Pictures, so is chock full of nudity and sex scenes used to pad out the running time, as you'd expect from the studio. The characters are thinly-drawn and rather unlikeable, even though there are familiar faces in the cast list, notably the lead Simone Griffeth who was in the B-movie favourite DEATH RACE 2000. The whole of the production has a tired and overly familiar feel to it and the many and involved thriller elements don't really hold your attention, despite all the twists. It's just too cheap for that.

As has been noted, this is part of a Crown International series, almost all of which contain the same scenes of nudity and lovemaking, all surrounded by ho hum plots. Those were the USA offerings. "Hot Target" is a New Zealand offering starring absolutely stunning Simone Griffeth, an American lass now, with her husband, selling expensive real estate in South Carolina. And, she is a damn good actress. Those love scenes could, and should have been, more abbreviated and it would have appealed to a more general audience - well - not the Pixar enthusiasts. Anyway, all the palaver about the plot is a lot of horseradish. It was easy to understand, the story tight and taut. The acting by all involved was first class. Steve Marachuk, the only other American in the cast, was excellent as the cad. All involved turned in excellent performances. Anyway, ignore the naysayers and, if you can get hold of this, grab it. I guarantee it will keep you involved for at least 92 of its 93 minutes.

I'm not sure what this film is completely about. The film has a woman getting some much need spice and romance in her life after meeting a 'nice" man only to find that there is something else on his mind. The trouble is that the film seems to be more interested in the sex than it is in the plot. It might have been me but this film seemed to spend too much time watching bodies entwine and talking about things that really aren't necessary to plot for any real interest to be maintained. Don't get me wrong I don't mind watching pretty people in an erotic thriller do their stuff, but don't tell me its a thriller when the plot only seems to kick in until the last half hour or so. For my money this is little more than a soft-core romance wannabe. Probably slightly better than the 3 out of 10 I've rated it but that still isn't a reason to see it. Take a pass.