Prime Target (1991)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

PRIME TARGET is an extremely low budget action thriller that dates back to 1991. It was a labour of love for writer/director/lead actor David Heavener, one of those unknown macho wannabe guys with lots of chest hair but no discernable acting talent. Heavener plays a renegade cop in the Dirty Harry mould (he even has Andrew Robinson as a superior) who is tasked with transporting mob boss Tony Curtis cross-country while goons attempt to either rescue or assassinate him. Lots of low rent action ensues, with big guns blowing holes in people and the usual obligatory shower scene with a blonde bimbo. Curtis is amusing enough and there's another nice supporting role for Isaac Hayes, but otherwise the entertainment value on this one is limited thanks to it being the one-man-David-Heavener show.

Jonathan "Blood" Bloodstone (Heavener) is a cop who plays by his own rules. Sure, he may be a bit crazy, and he thinks he's a modern-day cowboy, but when Captain Tompkins (Hayes) wants results, he calls in Bloodstone. When the FBI, led by Agent Harrington (Reed) call Bloodstone in to transport a mobster named Marietta Copella (Curtis) on a long car ride to a new, secret location, at first he isn't interested. But he needs $25,000 or he's going to lose his house. So, Bloodstone reluctantly agrees to the assignment. Once on the road together, the two men are the original odd couple, Copella a slick-talking, high-class Italian gangster, and Bloodstone a flamethrow-first-and-ask-questions-later good ol' boy. After some adventures and trials and tribulations on the road, they both realize the truth about this particular road trip. Yes, there's a TRUTH behind this road trip. Dare you find out what it is? We've always been champions of David Heavener. Anyone who reads this site knows we're always extolling his virtues - he can act, write, produce, direct, do Martial Arts, and is a musician who plays guitar and writes his own songs. We've always said he should have gotten more recognition, both by the Hollywood establishment, as well as the general public. We've maintained this attitude towards the man and his work, even through some of his wonkier productions. But now, finally, our outlook has been validated. Prime Target is the best Heavener movie we've seen to date. It has a crisp, professional look, and is snappy, entertaining, and never boring. The plot is actually fairly engrossing, and this would be a great place to start if you're unfamiliar with Heavener.Tony Curtis is on board as the garrulous Copella, and the interplay between him and Bloodstone provides a lot of the meat of the movie. Curtis had a hard job, he's supposed to be the time-honored "annoying" character, but if you're too annoying, the audience will check out entirely, so you have to balance. We felt he did his best and he does put energy into the role. There's also fan favorite Isaac Hayes as the police chief, and the Brady Bunch's own Robert Reed as the FBI guy. They even interact in several scenes. Where else are you going to see that? Like a lot of Heavener movies that came out on VHS back in the golden years, this has a commercial before the movie advertising something Heavener-related. These commercials are always awesome, but this one takes the cake. The ad is for...wait for it...a David Heavener HOTLINE where you call 1-900-DAVID! This is absolutely real. Apparently you can get information and behind the scenes info about the movie and even get a Prime Target T-shirt. And here's the best part - the line "Kids get your parents' permission"!!!! What KID is a. renting an R-rated movie b. renting a HEAVENER movie c. renting PRIME TARGET and d. the odds of this kid existing and wanting to call the Heavener hotline are...what? We know they have to say that for legal purposes, but has there ever been a young tot who has said, "mom, can I please call 1-900-DAVID? I want to know more about Prime Target." It boggles the mind.You'll be singing "blooood-stoonnnne" (Judas Priest reference) when you see Heavener's belt with the word "Cowboy" emblazoned into it, and especially when you hear the amazing intro/outro song, "I'm a Honky Tonk Man", which is this sort of country rap which predated Uncle Kracker and Kid Rock by many years. Yes, as if a hotline wasn't enough, Heavener actually raps. And you get a movie called Prime Target on this VHS tape as well, so for value-for-entertainment-dollars, you really can't beat this one.Watch Jon Bloodstone turn the FBI into the "Federal BLOODSTONE Investigations" with this classic tonight.

The VHS for this low budget affair incredibly starts out with David Heavener pitching some kind of contest, where you call him for $2.00/ minute. Is this possibly to cover the movie's micro budget getting blown? Either way, the first thing that will get your attention as cheaping out, is there are no extra's milling about, especially noticeable in the final shootout on the court house steps. I mean guns blazing, snipers falling off roofs, and the town is completely deserted, except for the combatants? Every cent must have been spent on the car chases, and pyrotechnics. The script is so simple, a ten year old could have written it. So why is the movie still watchable? It's got a very intriguing cast of supporting actors. What's not to like about Don Stroud, Isaac Hayes, Andy Robinson, or Tony Curtis? The film includes some humorous exchanges between Heavner and Curtis, brief nudity, and a catchy C&W tune. You could do a lot worse than "Prime Target". - MERK

This is an incredibly bad movie - perhaps one of the worst action films ever. Star David Heavener alos wrote and directed this fiasco with such a brazen ego that it feels like a love letter to himself more than a film the public can appreciate. They have a name in Hollywood for this kind of self-congradulatory filmmaking and it's called a vanity production. Everything about it is a strained effort to turn this cardboard actor into some kind of low rent Clint Eastwood for rednecks to hoot and holler over as he shoots at the bad guys and shows off his chest hair. Unless you are looking for some unintended laughs stay far away from this painful and pathetic piece of trite! However, if you enjoy a senseless egomaniacs amateur looking home movie that looks as if it has been shot through a muddy coke bottle, then this is the crap you've been waiting for!