Target: Harry (1969) Plot Summary Explained

Harry Black was bailed out of prison by unknown parties who needed his services as a pilot. Lieutenant Duval released him with a warning, implying the police were aware someone wanted Harry alive and working for them. The bail was likely arranged by whoever was orchestrating the plot to get Carlyle to Istanbul.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, the assassination attempt on Carlyle at Monte Carlo shows there are powerful forces already moving against him.

• harry black
• prison release
• duval
• pilot
• istanbul job

The summary does not explicitly name Carlyle's killer. Multiple parties were after him, the murder was tied to the missing counterfeiting plates he was believed to carry. Harry became the prime suspect because he had flown Carlyle there, placing him between rival crooks and police who suspected his involvement.

Foreshadowing: The assassination attempt at Monte Carlo establishes that multiple parties wanted Carlyle dead.

• jason carlyle
• murder
• istanbul
• killed
• plates

The plates were specialized printing plates used to counterfeit currency. Jason Carlyle was believed to possess them, making him a target for multiple criminal organizations. The plates represented immense financial power, whoever controlled them could produce fake money worth far more than their physical weight.

Foreshadowing: The assassination attempt at Monte Carlo hints at the plates' extreme value, as killers were willing to strike during a public event.

• counterfeiting plates
• counterfeit money
• macguffin
• plates
• istabul

Ruth Carlyle had possessed the plates all along, keeping them hidden from her father and everyone else. When Harry returned to Monte Carlo after the Istanbul chaos, he discovered Ruth had been the one holding the plates the entire time, making her the most valuable target for every faction involved.

Foreshadowing: The missing plates remained a mystery throughout Harry's time in Istanbul, with everyone assuming Carlyle still had them.

• ruth carlyle
• plates
• monte carlo
• hidden
• secret

Diane Reed ordered Kemal to break into Ruth's hotel room, murder her, and seize the plates because she needed them to complete her own deal with Segora. Ruth's possession of the plates made her a threat to Diane's plans, so eliminating her was necessary to get the plates and maintain leverage in the power struggle.

Foreshadowing: Diane's enigmatic nature and mysterious motivations were established early, hinting at her willingness to betray anyone.

• diane reed
• ruth carlyle
• killed
• murder
• plates

Milos Segora was revealed to be a member of the Albanian secret service operating in Kerkyra. He had initially been hired as a henchman by crimelord Mosul Rashi, but his real agenda was using the chaos around the plates to make his own deal with Diane Reed for the Albanian government.

Foreshadowing: Segora's initial role as a hired assassin at Monte Carlo suggested deeper motives beyond simple criminal work.

• milos segora
• albanian secret service
• kerkyra
• identity
• spy

In the final confrontation in Monte Carlo, Harry pretended to team up with Diane but instead chose to turn her in to Lieutenant Duval. Harry's decision ended the immediate danger and resolved the conspiracy, though it came after multiple betrayals and the deaths of Ruth and other characters, leaving his victory morally ambiguous.

Foreshadowing: Harry's precarious position between criminals and police throughout the film established his conflicted loyalties.

• harry black
• diane reed
• duval
• police
• turn in
• betrayal

The plates changed hands multiple times throughout the film. After Ruth was killed and Kemal took them, Harry killed Kemal in self-defense. Following the final confrontation in Monte Carlo, Diane was turned in to the police, and the plates presumably fell into the hands of law enforcement, ending the chase.

Foreshadowing: The plates had been the central prize driving all the violence and betrayals since Istanbul.

• plates
• ending
• finale
• police
• outcome

Kemal, working with Diane Reed, attacked Harry because Harry was interfering with their plan to secure the plates. After Kemal murdered Ruth and took the plates, Harry attempted to stop him, leading to a direct confrontation where Harry was forced to kill Kemal in self-defense.

Foreshadowing: Kemal's introduction as one of Rashi's henchmen established him as a dangerous operative working for the highest bidder.

• kemal
• harry black
• attack
• fight
• killed
• plates

Mosul Rashi bowed out of the caper after the violent chase in Kerkyra, where Segora and his men opened fire on tourists. The excessive violence and danger apparently exceeded what Rashi was willing to risk, so he withdrew from the competition rather than continue pursuing the plates.

Foreshadowing: Rashi's willingness to work with Harry showed he was more pragmatic than ruthless.

• mosul rashi
• quit
• retreat
• kerkyra
• plates

Jason Carlyle was targeted because he possessed the valuable counterfeiting plates. Milos Segora was hired to kill him during the Monte Carlo race, though the attempt failed and struck an innocent bystander instead. This assassination attempt set the entire plot in motion, forcing Carlyle and Ruth to flee.

Foreshadowing: The missing plates immediately became the central mystery driving all subsequent events.

• jason carlyle
• assassination
• monte carlo
• segora
• plates