Moving Target

Right now you can watch Moving Target on streaming — and it earns its twists rather than manufacturing them. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. The reception has been consistently positive. Dabney Coleman leads a cast that carries the story without ever feeling mechanical. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Moving Target earns its spot. The plotting gives Moving Target its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. A police detective initially believed to have died in an accident is found to have been murdered, and suspicion arises the killer is a fellow officer. Dabney Coleman and Harry Guardino lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1973. Moving Target is at its best in the quiet scenes between the plot beats, where the character work actually happens. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Crime and mystery fans will find exactly what they are after in Moving Target. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Dabney Coleman carries scenes that would sink a lesser production. The resolution feels inevitable rather than arbitrary, which is rarer than it sounds.