Our feature for this week is from 1966 and is titled Target for Killing. It stars the venerable Stuart Granger as FBI Special Agent James Vine.
Vine, a mature, pipe-smoking gentleman with greying temples and an active mind is sent on a special assignment to Montenegro. His mission is locate a criminal mastermind called The Giant who is working on a brainwashing experiment. On the flight he meets and flirts with a lovely young girl, Sandra, (played by the beautiful Karen Dor). In the process, he sees the plane's crew bail out---and lands the plane with Sandra at his side.
While looking for The Giant's hideout, somebody attempts to kill Sandra, so she seeks out Vine's help. As it turns out, she is about to inherit a fortune as soon as her next birthday. Vine realizes that the attempted airline sabotage was meant for Sandra. As the plot progresses, we learn that the attacks on Sandra and the Giant's activities are connected.
Will Vine save Sandra and foil the Giant's plot? Check it out and see.
Target for Killing is something of an underrated and relatively unknown film among the Crime/Espionage genre, mostly because the characters and plot don't exactly fit the standard 007 archetype. And that's not a bad thing at all. As bloggers like Bob Wallace have pointed out, the playboy-type faux-Alpha male of that genre was an overall negative role as far as its portrayals of the male nature. James Vine, in contrast, is a character one can actually admire. No special tricks; just good with his gun, his fists, and his wits.
There's also an atypical romantic angle in this story that is admirable. Vine is not an amoral player; he develops a real love for Sandra and wins her heart as well as saving her life. And he is always a gentleman. In one scene, The Giant cynically asks Vine if he is really in love with Sandra. He replies: "That's none of your business." Vine's character exudes a confidence and courage---borne of experience---that is genuinely likable. That's a point that the poseurs of the Manosphere completely miss. It's not manly to lead by force and fear but by attitude and action.
Fighting an evil criminal organization alone while winning a pretty girl half his age and never losing his composure---what is there not to like about Agent James Vine? We're certain that our readers will agree; Target for Killing has a strong group of partisans among fans of Eurospy films. To all those feeling discouraged about how some males have behaved lately; this is a strong dose of brain-bleach.
The film is available for free on Youtube; also for purchase on video outlets.
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