{{Use dmy dates|date= February 2026}} {{Use New Zealand English|date= February 2026}} {{Infobox film | name = Hot Target | image = | alt = | caption = | director = Dennis Lewiston | producer = {{Plainlist| *John Barnett *Brian W. Cook }} | writer = Dennis Lewiston | starring = {{Plainlist| *Simone Griffeth *Steve Marachuk }} | music = Gil Mellé | cinematography = Alec Mills | editing = Michael Horton | studio = | distributor = | released = {{Film date|1985}} | runtime = 92 min | country = New Zealand | language = English | budget = | gross = }}
'''''Hot Target''''' is a New Zealand film that was released in 1985. It was written and directed by Dennis Lewiston.
==Cast== *Simone Griffeth as Christine *Steve Marachuk as Lester *Bryan Marshall as Clive *Peter McCauley as Detective Inspector Nolan
==Reception== Stephen Hunter from the Baltimore Sun wrote it was "It's well acted and well made; more important, it offers a brief taste of pleasures exiled from American movie theatres for at least two decades."<ref>{{citation |last = Hunter |first= Stephen |title= An old-fashioned melodrama, right on 'Target' |periodical = The Baltimore Sun |date= 25 October 1985 }}</ref> Lou Cedrone, writing in Baltimore's Evening Sun, says it is "a neatly plotted suspense film, a well-developed tribute to the Film Noir, the Gloria Graham-Humphrey Bogart movies Hollywood did the Forties"<ref>{{citation |last = Cedrone |first= Lou |title= 2 new films that start poorly and end up well |periodical = The Evening Sun |date= 25 October 1985 }}</ref> Variety reviewer James Greenberg noted that it "starts out as a soft-core romance, complete with appropriately tacky music, but eventually hardens into a Claude Chabrolesque exploration of obsessive passion among the rich and restless." He said "It is in fact a good deal above average with writer / director Denis Lewiston displaying considerable talent as well as lapses, from his inexperience."<ref>{{citation |last = Greenberg |first= James |title= Restless/Hot Target |periodical = Variety |date= 13 November 1985 }}</ref>
Henry Edgar from Virginia's Daily Press says "The film has some intriguing moments, though the sparks are never quite hot enough to sizzle." and notes ""Hot Target" could have survived a predictable story if the stars had the proper charisma".<ref>{{citation |last = Edgar |first= Henry |title= 'Hot Target' has some warm spots but never quite heats up to sizzling |periodical = Daily Press |date= 26 October 1985 }}</ref> Dayton Daily News's Terry Lawson writes "''Body Heat'' it isn't, but ''Hot Target'', a New Zealand import, is a mildly sexy and engaging little romance that eventually turns into a noir-like thriller, complete with the usual twists and turns of the genre." He says "Lewiston has a certain feel for this material, and one would like to see what he might accomplish in the same general area with a bigger budget and a more accomplished cast."<ref>{{citation |last = Lawson |first= Terry |title= 'Hot Target' doesn't quite hit bull's-eye |periodical = Dayton Daily News |date= 30 March 1987 }}</ref>
Chris Gladden of The Roanoke Times ends his reviews ""Hot Target" isn't even tepid outside the bedroom scenes and the only real mystery involved is why it's playing at two theaters in the Roanoke area."<ref>{{citation |last = Gladden |first= Chris |title= 'Hot Target' story, dramatics miss mark |periodical = The Roanoke Times |date= 26 October 1985 }}</ref> The Staines Informer's John Brooker says "This daffy New Zealand rip-off of ''Thief of Hearts'' slowly sinks in the west as the plot becomes more and more improbable."<ref>{{Citation | last= Brooker | first= John | title= Off-beat sci-fi lovers can get an early twilight glimpse | url= | periodical= The Staines Informer | date= 21 August 1986 }}</ref> Richmond Times-Dispatch's Douglas Durden notes the similarity to ''Thief of Hearts'' ans says ""Hot Target" takes a harder R-rated approach, thereby losing any subtle charm this contrived story might have had."<ref>{{citation |last = Durden |first= Douglas |title= Contrived plot of 'Hot Target' isn't plausible |periodical = Richmond Times-Dispatch |date= 26 October 1985 }}</ref> John Oliver from the Swindon Advertiser wrote it was "Soft porn — and very badly done soft porn — tries to disguise itself as an erotic thriller and fails dismally."<ref>{{citation |last = Oliver |first= John |title= Follow Agatha's clues |periodical = Swindon Advertiser |date= 21 February 1987 }}</ref> In Standard-Speaker Bill Hagen criticises the poor acting, saying it was unintentionally hilarious, and calls the film "a bomb of nuclear proportions".<ref>{{citation |last = Hagen |first= Bill |title= Contrived plot of 'Hot Target' isn't plausible |periodical = Standard-Speaker |date= 9 November 1985 }}</ref> Cinema Aotearoa wrote "A misogynistic and paper-thin story draped over slimy collection of softcore sex scenes and saxophone music, the film is such a product of its time that viewing it today is uncomfortably hilarious."<ref>{{citation |last = |first= |title= Hot Target (1985) |periodical = Cinema Aotearoa |date= 2015 |url=http://www.cinema-aotearoa.co.nz/hot-target-1985.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180219052843/http://www.cinema-aotearoa.co.nz/hot-target-1985.html |archive-date= 2018-02-19 }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb title|0089306}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hot Target}} Category:1985 films Category:1985 English-language films Category:1980s New Zealand films