‘Target’ Hits Its Mark With Fun, Suspense

“First Target,” airing tonight on TBS, places us among the ranks of theSecret Service as agents try to prevent an assassination attempt on the president’s life. As a sequel to last year’s highly successful cable movie “First Daughter,” this action thriller marks the return of Secret Service agent Alex McGregor, with Daryl Hannah aptly replacing Mariel Hemingway in the role, as head of the presidential security detail.

Adept at her job, McGregor and her team search for the culprit behind e-mail threats made against the president as a larger conspiracy reveals itself at a national park commemoration. Reprising their roles in this new adventure are Gregory Harrison as President Jonathan Hayes and Doug Savant as McGregor’s resourceful river guide beau Grant Coleman.

“First Target” works on several different levels and has a little bit of everything: suspense, action, humor, class and gender issues, conspiracy, friendship and love. Despite a few implausible moments, the framework of the narrative blends many stories and issues into one flowing tale.

A good portion of the ease with which the movie progresses can be credited to the production team behind “First Target,” most of which also worked on “First Daughter,” including director Armand Mastroianni and writers Chad and Carey Hayes. They know their characters and are intent on giving them personalities and lives, not just jobs.

Among the most interesting aspects of the film are the inner workings of the Secret Service itself. From elaborate training exercises to daily protocol, we glimpse the rigors of the characters’ work as their personalities emerge behind the stoic faces they display to the public.

“First Target” also skirts convention by exploring somewhat of a role reversal. Both the protagonist and the primary antagonist are women who control the situations around them.

As McGregor, Hannah shows complete confidence in her abilities as a Secret Service agent yet is keenly aware of her position as a female authority figure in a male-dominated profession. She doesn’t gripe about it, however. As she tells a new female agent, “We live in a world where people view us as women first, agents second. I’m trying to change that.”

So much of what drives the movie is the heart the main characters have. Despite the prominence of their positions and seriousness of their situations, they maintain a down-to-earth quality. President Hayes, Coleman and McGregor are devoted friends as well as professionals. As the action intensifies (driven on by Louis Febre’s well-suited musical score) and the assassin’s cunning takes on a cat-and-mouse style, the stakes are heightened by the personal jeopardy the characters feel.

This second installment of what is sure to become a franchise for TBS is a fun adventure that easily welcomes new viewers along with the returning audience from last year’s “First Daughter.”

* “First Target” can be seen tonight at 5 on TBS. The network has rated it TV-14-V (may be unsuitable for children younger than 14, with special advisories for violence).