Produced at the tail end of the '70s conspiracy craze, Brass Target (1978) is a muddled thriller with its share of grace notes. Lavish production values and a top-flight cast can't overcome an overstuffed script.In postwar Germany, criminals hijack an American train filled with Nazi gold. General George Patton (George Kennedy) vows to solve the crime personally, leading conspirators Colonel Rogers (Robert Vaughn) and Gilchrist (Edward Herrmann) to hire assassin Webber (Max Von Sydow) to kill him. Meanwhile, OSS Major Joe De Luca (John Cassavettes) closes in on the robbery while navigating a love triangle with German woman Marta (Sophia Loren) and colleague Colonel McCauley (Patrick McGoohan).
Based on Frederick Nolan's novel, Brass Target offers an intriguing setup. Harkening back to A Foreign Affair and The Third Man, John Hough and writer Alvin Boretz depict postwar Germany as a lawless, politically charged tinderbox. American and Soviet officials blame each other for the robbery and mutual aggression, presaging the Cold War. American officers engage in black marketeering and prostitution while recruiting ex-Nazis and mobster Lucky Luciano (Lee Montague) into high-placed positions. Patton, a blunt soldier, stands little chance amidst the crosscurrents of occupation chaos.
Yet Brass Target chases too many unrelated strands. De Luca's investigation dominates the story, but it's diluted by a tedious romance and Patton's own blundering efforts. Shelley's preparations seem cribbed almost verbatim from Day of the Jackal, while a second assassin prowls about killing minor characters. What happens to the actual gold is pretty much ignored. The gorgeous period detail and location shooting redeems a lot, while action scenes like a church shootout and the climax manage serviceable tension. Still, Target grows too tangled in its complexities to satisfy.
Meanwhile, the acting proves distressingly erratic. John Cassavettes is alternately wooden and hammy, while Patrick McGoohan's marble-mouthed American accent is embarrassing. Edward Herrmann and Robert Vaughn's gay villain doubles-act is even worse, while Sophia Loren is stranded in superfluity. George Kennedy an imposing enough Patton, while Max Von Sydow effectively reprises his Three Days of the Condor role.
If Brass Target had trimmed its subplots to manageable length, it could have been a Grade A thriller. As it is, it's an uneven mess occasionally redeemed by good ideas and directorial competence.
