Moving Target (1988)

Jason Bateman stars in this made for TV film about a rock and rolling kid who goes off to a music camp. While gone Bateman's dead Tom Skerritt who works for a big investment house in San Francisco turns federal witness against his employer who has been laundering mob money for decades. Tom Skerritt and the rest of the family go into witness protection, but Bateman who has run away from the long haired music in the old fashioned sense at the music camp is in the winds.When he gets home he finds a house stripped bare and no one knows where the family is. But both the Justice Department in the person of John Glover and a mob hit man Jack Wagner are both after him. Bateman does not know who friend or foe is, so he has to keep a Moving Target.It was interesting to see Glover as a good guy for once and soap opera hunk Jake Wagner is a truly terrifying amoral hit man. As a movie Moving Target obeys the first rule of movie making, it moves.Bateman is good also as a truly clever and bright kid, which should make one fear for the security of witness protection.Fans of the above named players should like this.

Released to TV in 1988, "Moving Target" is a mystery/thriller about a teenager (Jason Bateman) who unexpectedly comes home to California from music camp in Michigan only to find his parents' home deserted, including all the furniture. What happened? Chynna Phillips plays the maybe-girlfriend and the always-reliable Tom Skerritt co-stars as the father.Being a TV movie, there are obvious breaks for commercials but, other than that, this is a solid drama/thriller, particularly if you like the cast. Everything about the movie screams mid-80 – the electronic drums, the haircuts, the clothes. This in itself is entertaining. Anyway, it's nothing great, but it works for what it is.The film runs 100 minutes and was shot in S. California.GRADE: B

I liked the 80s vibe here, because I like 80s movies.Don't expect much, but I was impressed with Jason Bateman and he went on to do a lot of stuff.It's your typical teen comes home to find family gone movie, if there is such a genre. Some OK action.Plot is about what you expect from an 80s action movie, turn your brain off or go MST3K on it. But it serves the purpose.Dialog is the weakness here I think, there's no imagination here, no flair.Music is pretty standard 80s synth pop, but hey they actually show the girl playing a Yamaha DX7 synth, one of the most important 80s synthesizers. I would bet that the music in the movie used this same synth as the E Piano sound in one of the songs sounds like the DX& e piano.

For a made for TV 80's movie I thought it was very good. Jason Bateman did a very good job. It' s interesting to see him at a young age prior to his career being rejuvenated. Jack Wagner was awesome playing the Hit-man. Prior to this he was most well known for his days as General Hospital's good guy, Frisco Jones. After leaving for Broadway it was an awesome surprise to see him starring as the villain in this under appreciated movie. I also find it amazing that the girl playing Jason Bateman's girlfriend is Chynna Phillips. It seems it was close to, if not the climax to her acting career. I wouldn't have scored it as high on the big screen but this was one of the best TV movies I've seen. Good enough that I found it on Amazon and am enjoying it 25 years later.