BRASS TARGET

 

BRASS TARGET (1978) is a WWII/espionage/conspiracy tale centered around the death of General George S. Patton in December of 1945. 

Patton's death (which came about from injuries he suffered in a car accident) has long been fodder for conspiracy theorists. BRASS TARGET doesn't try to be a realistic expose, it's more of a fanciful attempt to connect Patton with a horde of Nazi treasure. The movie starts out with the train robbery of $250 million worth of Nazi gold that is being transported by American troops (one of the better sequences in the film). Patton (George Kennedy) decides to head the investigation himself. Also working on the case is a former OSS operative named Major De Lucca (John Cassavetes). De Lucca quickly realizes that it was an inside job, and Patton's own life may be in jeopardy. 

BRASS TARGET is a typical 1970s adventure thriller, with an international cast, European locations, and a post-Watergate "everything is a scam" attitude. The movie was filmed in Germany and Switzerland, and director John Hough gets the most out of the locations. BRASS TARGET also presents a fairly accurate look at Europe right after the end of World War II. 

Independent movie icon John Cassavetes is somewhat of an unusual pick to play the main hero in this type of story--at times you wonder if the sullen De Lucca was actually in on the robbery. The major players who were part of the plot (played by Robert Vaughn, Patrick McGoohan, and Edward Herrmann) are an eccentric lot--they act so quirky and suspicious it's hard to believe they were able to manage to become officers in the U.S military. Sophia Loren gets top billing in the credits, but for most of the running time she hasn't much to do. She plays a Polish (!) refugee who not only is an old flame of De Lucca's, but also has connections with other major characters in the story, thereby tying various plot threads together. George Kennedy doesn't get a lot of screen time as Patton, and he plays him as the average viewer would expect--outspoken and belligerent. 

BRASS TARGET is almost two hours long, and the pace drags at times--it's not an action-packed thrill ride. There is a nice sequence that has a shoot-out and a chase inside a church, and the story does have a strong THE DAY OF THE JACKAL vibe, especially when it deals with Max von Sydow's character. The element concerning the Nazi gold gets overshadowed by the plot to kill Patton, to the point where the loot seems almost forgotten. The story even drags in Lucky Luciano at one point, but I highly doubt the filmmakers expected the audience to truly think their version of events had anything to do with reality. 

John Hough (TWINS OF EVIL) directs capably, and the movie has a decent look to it, but considering the cast and subject involved, I expected more out of BRASS TARGET.