Target

The Lloyds are a typical middle class American family, beset by dullness and young Chris' feelings that his Dad is a staid, materialist cop-out. Typical, that is, until Mom (Hunnicutt) suddenly disappears during a trip to Paris: when father (Hackman) and son (Dillon) follow in search and are welcomed by hails of bullets, all kinds of mysteries erupt, not the least of which concerns Dad's secret past as a CIA agent. Penn's film might seem an altogether ordinary foray into the world of international espionage were it not for his teasing examination of various concepts of 'family', a word much abused throughout to denote not only the Lloyds, but also the several murderous organisations out to destroy them. An uneven film, to be sure, but far more ambitious and intelligent than most spy thrillers.