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Target: Harry (1969) movie poster

Timeline

Target: Harry (1969) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
1969 · 81 mins · English
Starring
Suzanne Pleshette, Charlotte Rampling, Stanley Holloway, Cesar Romero, Victor Buono, Roger Corman

Pilot Harry Black is hired to transport a client, Carlyle, to Istanbul, where Carlyle is killed. The murderous plot draws the attention of mysterious operative Diane Reed and local gangster Rashi, who both believe Harry is in possession of the priceless plates Carlyle used for counterfeiting money.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Events in order (15)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Movies like Target: Harry
  5. 5 Every angle

15 events in order · contains spoilers

Target: Harry Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Target: Harry (1969) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Assassination attempt at the Monte Carlo race

    Milos Segora attempts to assassinate Jason Carlyle during a high-stakes Monte Carlo race. The shooter misses, striking an innocent bystander instead. Carlyle and his daughter Ruth scramble to flee the chaos.

    When
    during the race
    Where
    Monte Carlo
  2. Carlyle and Ruth flee the scene

    Carlyle and Ruth escape the scene and vanish into the crowd as the danger intensifies. The escape marks the first sign of the deadly chase surrounding the missing plates. Authorities and rival players begin tracking them.

    Where
    Monte Carlo
  3. Harry Black is released from prison

    Freelance pilot Harry Black is bailed out of prison and released with a warning from Lieutenant Duval. He exits with uneasy calm, aware that bigger trouble looms. The warning hints at the wider conspiracy over the missing plates.

    Where
    Prison
  4. Harry flies Carlyle to Istanbul

    Harry ferries Jason Carlyle to Istanbul, hoping to escape danger and perhaps find answers. The journey moves the stake to a new city where new players emerge. Carlyle and Ruth remain implicated as threats close in.

    Where
    Istanbul
  5. Carlyle is murdered in Istanbul

    Shortly after arriving in Istanbul, Carlyle is murdered, leaving the plates status unresolved. The death escalates the chase and drags Harry into a maze of suspects. The city becomes a battlefield for power over the plates.

    Where
    Istanbul
  6. Missing plates and mounting danger in Istanbul

    In Istanbul, Carlyle is believed to have carried the plates for counterfeiting and they are now missing. Harry finds himself caught between rival crooks and the Istanbul police who suspect him in Carlyle's death. The situation tightens around him as trust erodes.

    Where
    Istanbul
  7. Introduction of key players

    The cast of players expands to Mosul Rashi, Segora, Kemal, and the enigmatic Diane Reed. Each has a hand in the plates and different intentions for what to do with them. The intrigue grows as alliances shift.

    Where
    Istanbul
  8. Harry flees Istanbul for Monte Carlo

    After a string of run ins, Harry escapes Istanbul and returns to Monte Carlo to regroup. He reassesses whom to trust and how to stay alive. The return marks a shift back to the original playground for the next moves.

    Where
    Monte Carlo
  9. Harry meets Ruth and learns she has the plates

    Back in Monte Carlo, Harry reconnects with Ruth and discovers she has been in possession of the plates all along. The revelation changes loyalties and heightens the risk for everyone involved. The plates become the central prize again.

    Where
    Monte Carlo
  10. Kemal and Diane breach Ruth's room; Ruth is killed

    Kemal, working with Diane, breaks into Ruth’s hotel room, murders her, and takes the plates. The loss of Ruth tightens the net around Harry and raises the stakes for everyone.

    Where
    Monte Carlo
  11. Harry kills Kemal

    Kemal attempts to kill Harry, but Harry shoots him first, removing a key antagonist from the grid of rivals.

    Where
    Monte Carlo
  12. Harry and Rashi ally and follow Diane to Kerkyra

    Harry and Mosul Rashi form an alliance of convenience and pursue Diane's trail to Kerkyra. The partnership helps them navigate shifting loyalties and dangers in pursuit of the plates.

    Where
    Kerkyra
  13. Segora reveals allegiance; Albanian secret service maneuver

    In Kerkyra, Segora reveals himself as a member of the Albanian secret service and makes his own deal with Diane for the plates. The revelation heightens the stakes as multiple factions converge in a high risk chase.

    Where
    Kerkyra
  14. Chase on Kerkyra; tourists targeted

    During the chase, Segora and his men shoot several tourists while Harry and Rashi try to escape by hiding in a tour group. The chaos underscores the brutality of the conspiracy and the danger to bystanders.

    Where
    Kerkyra
  15. Final confrontation back in Monte Carlo

    Rashi bows out of the caper, and Harry returns to Monte Carlo alone to confront Diane. He agrees to team up with her but instead turns Diane in to Duval, ending the conspiracy.

    Where
    Monte Carlo

Last updated: February 03, 2026 at 07:41

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Timeline questions answered

Target: Harry Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Target: Harry (1969): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why was Harry Black released from prison?

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
Q2

Who killed Jason Carlyle in Istanbul?

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
Q3

What were the counterfeiting plates and why did everyone want them?

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
Q4

How did Ruth Carlyle end up with the plates?

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
Q5

Why did Diane Reed kill Ruth Carlyle?

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
Q6

What was Milos Segora's true identity?

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
Q7

Why did Harry Black turn Diane Reed in to the police?

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
Q8

What happened to the counterfeiting plates at the end?

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
Q9

Why did Kemal attack Harry Black?

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
Q10

Why did Mosul Rashi stop pursuing the 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
Q11

Why was Jason Carlyle targeted for assassination at Monte Carlo?

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

Movie threads

More Movies Like Target: Harry, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Target: Harry tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies with an Unwitting Courier like in Target: Harry

An ordinary person becomes the target of dangerous factions after a simple job. If you enjoyed the premise of Target: Harry, you'll like these films featuring ordinary people thrust into dangerous conspiracies. This collection gathers thrilling stories of innocent couriers, pilots, and transporters who become the target of ruthless criminals and secret agents after a simple job goes wrong.

  • tense
  • paranoid
  • dangerous
  • wrongly accused
  • furtive
  • pursuit
  • Tone: tense, paranoid, cynical
  • Pacing: fast, relentless
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically begins with a protagonist taking on a transport or delivery job that quickly spirals out of control when their client is killed or the cargo is revealed to be highly valuable (like counterfeit plates). They are wrongfully accused and must navigate a perilous landscape of shifting alliances, using their wits and limited resources to survive and expose the real villains.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here by their shared plot engine: a protagonist's mundane life is violently upended, forcing them into a fast-paced game of cat-and-mouse. They share a tense, paranoid mood where trust is a liability and the hero must rely on their own cunning to escape a web of deceit.

Tense Thrillers with Shifting Allegiances like Target: Harry

In a world of criminals and spies, no one can be trusted for long. Fans of the treacherous alliances in Target: Harry will appreciate these movies. Discover similar tense, fast-paced thrillers and crime stories where characters form furtive partnerships based on convenience, and trust is the quickest path to betrayal. Perfect for viewers who love complex webs of deceit.

  • tense
  • suspenseful
  • double cross
  • mistrust
  • dangerous
  • opportunistic
  • Tone: tense, cynical, mysterious
  • Pacing: fast, unpredictable
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread are defined by their unstable character dynamics. The plot is driven by a series of betrayals and temporary collaborations, often centered around a valuable MacGuffin. The protagonist's journey is less about defeating a single villain and more about surviving a gauntlet of opportunistic players, leading to a morally ambiguous resolution.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their core atmosphere of pervasive mistrust and the narrative mechanic of constantly changing sides. They deliver a specific kind of suspense where the greatest threat isn't a single pursuer, but the uncertainty of who will turn on you next.

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Every angle

Target: Harry (1969) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

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