Hard Target (1993)

Let me start by saying that this is one of my favorite films, of Van Damme I consider this a true action classic.Director John Woo was the right choice for the film, he's style of film-making is cool and unique and for his first American feature he did a hell of a good job.I'm just going to go into what I liked on the film.Where do I begin, well just about every action sequence in the picture I liked, but most notably is the warehouse at the end.Overall a cool action film that I consider a classic.I give it an 8/10. If your a fan of Van Damme and never seen this give it a look. Highly recommended.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this thriller, especially after I'd read so much negative press about it over the Internet. But, despite it being much maligned, I thought this was a great action film. One of the best I've seen, in fact, ranking right up there with the DIE HARD and UNDER SIEGE series. I do agree that the story is basically just an excuse to string together the numerous set pieces and ripping off THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME. But thankfully, most of the screen time is given to these set pieces, so there's nothing really to complain about that much. Much of the acting is also pretty bad, but done in a strange tongue in cheek way, so I was enjoying this and laughing along at the things happening.Many people have said this was one of Van Damme's best films. I agree, although at the moment there are only two early films of his that I've seen which I class as average. I don't know why, I can understand all the negative comments about his films, but I enjoy them anyway. Maybe I'll get around to explaining it one day. HARD TARGET gives us a different Van Damme - one who has long hair, and is basically a homeless guy, but Woo still concentrates on those characteristics which make Van Damme a star, namely, his high kicks. Therefore, our hero gets to use these in much abundance in this film, all rendered in loving slow motion.As the heroine, Yancy Butler is pretty, yet a totally awful actress who is painful to watch at some moments (witness the snake scene, talk about over the top). Most of the time she doesn't have to say much, though, which is something, as she's infinitely more likable when she keeps her mouth closed. Wilford Brimley, a solid character actor, enjoys his role as a dusty old uncle who brews moonshine in his shed, and he's fun too. The rest of the cast are all okay, and it's good to see another cameo from Ted Raimi (after all, Sam was an executive producer here), but the main actors who stick in the mind are the two villains: Vosloo and Henriksen.Arnold Vosloo relishes his role as a foreigner who enjoys torturing and slaying those who oppose him, and you can tell that Vosloo is having a great time. He also looks pretty young and slim too, in the wake of THE MUMMY anyway. Lance Henriksen, meanwhile, also has a ball in his way over-the-top role as the chief villain. While some people might not like the intensity of his performance, I loved it, especially when he started gasping and shouting at the end. Who can forget the bit where his coat sets on fire - apparently an on-set accident during which he stayed in character? However, it's the action that people will watch this for, and it's trademark Woo in every respect. Slow motion is used in abundance, to great achievement, and such scenes as Van Damme leaping over a car firing two pistols at once, or Van Damme kicking the sunglasses (and cigar) out of an enemy's mouth, are sheer brilliance. The opening chase scene is a good one, and there are lots of explosions to enjoy too, and stunts (the motorcycle bit is great). However the finest achievement is the final shootout in the Mardi Gras graveyard, which lasts twenty minutes and has Van Damme running around and shooting and kicking people over and over again. It's great, and there is a really high death count. I loved it. Forget the critics, throw aside your hatred of poor acting, and if you like action then watch this film.

In 1993 Jean-Claude Van Damme was at the peak of his powers and popularity and in August of that year saw the release of his best and most exciting movie: Hard Target. This time Van Damme was directed by veteran Chinese action-film director John Woo - and what a utterly thrilling combination of talents and ability it turned out to be!In his American film debut Woo and Van Damme made a masterpiece of action, ablaze in a fury of gun battles, neck-breaking flying kicks and just overall killer stunt-work. To me, Woo's most important contribution to the picture, is his utterly captivating camera-work and razor-sharp (often complex) film editing. These two qualities place Hard Target far above most other movies of the genre, I'm especially fond of Woo's liberal use of tracking shots (that great moving camera work!) one of his several trademarks. What Woo's cinematography and editing produce is a very vivid and physically visceral film experience. The action scene's are extremely impactful and grandiose, having more snap to them then most films of the genre and the gunplay in this movie is amazingly intense and exciting and, to great effect, they often go overboard in the "squibs and blood-packs department". It's a terrible shame those two talents Van Damme/Woo never worked with each other again - it should have been the starting of a dynasty. Factually speaking, a majority of the fans who are familiar with Jon Woo's American films also agree, that Hard Target (his first) is the best of the lot. I certainly second that notion.The casting, for the most part, is terrific, especially the main baddies: Lance Henriksen as Mr. Fouchon and Arnold Vosloo as Pik, I think Vosloo turns out to be one of the best and most convincing hit-men ever portrayed in film and he's involved in almost all of the gun fights. Yancey Butler in her film debut is only so-so, though it doesn't matter much, because she's completely interchangeable with three of four dozen other actresses of the era - any one of which would have done as good a job or better. The movie takes place in and around New Orleans, several great action sequences make use of the sites of said city, they go all over it as a matter of fact and later on the chase continues into the surrounding bayou and that's when the movie really kicks into full-speed. While meeting Uncle Douvee (thats Wilford Brimley as some kind of crusty old moon-shinin' cajun hermit) along the way, who's a relative of Chance Boudreaux (Van Dammes character), who colorfully enhances the movie. Even some horseback riding action finds it's way into the mix, leading up to an absolutely enthrallingly explosive finale (very stylishly staged Mr. Woo) in an abandoned warehouse. A quick heads-up: Expect to see Lance Henriksen explode across scene in what has to be one of cinema's funniest death scenes. Hard Target is undoubtedly, in grand thundering fashion, the high-point of Van Damme's career - in other words it's his best movie! None of that direct-to-video garbage he's been churning out since the late-90's counts.As many other reviewers have stated before, I just HAVE TO make mention of Van Damme's unbelievably super-awesome MULLET! Wow, now that THING is just beyond awesome, rightfully titled by another reviewer to be "a pantheon-level mullet". In any case it's certainly one of the best (if not the best) movie mullets of all time - Period.Various prints of this spectacularly exciting action film exist, however, UN-like most of the time, it's the Euro-print that is the less edited and more violent print, which..... you might have guessed, is the better print. Up until about 2014 I was only familiar with the somewhat choppy, subdued and >>> !!! NEEDLESSLY EDITED !!! <<< US-version. I'm super-glad to say I own a region-free blu-ray copy of this film, that features the Euro-version, which is definitely the superior presentation. It's the vision that Woo and Van Damme had in mind for the audience all along. As you may already know it was the US ratings-board who were dead-set on bringing John Woo (and his reputation of making hyper-violent movies) to a heel. Which in fact qualifies them as: Meddlesome Morons. I spit on you POS. In the end, 23 years later, time has proved to be very kind to this film and it's definitely still every bit as exciting now as it was then. Hot damn action films were awesome in the early 90's!Oh yah one last point, the SOUND of this movie is fantastic and is just as hard-hitting as the visuals - so crank it to 10!

After making a name for himself in Asia as an action director, John Woo makes his American debut film, Hard Target. Although not his best, (it is one of his best) it was certainly a solid start. No better way make a great action film by having one of the hottest action stars in the world, Jean-Claude Van Damme. This was around the time that Van Damme's acting level was at par with other action stars such as Steven Seagal, but Van Damme was more versatile than him. Van Damme's role is a stereotypical tough-guy, drifter; greasy mullet, unshaven face, earring, long dark coat, ripped jeans. It is similar to Chuck Norris in The Hit-man a few years prior. Everybody praised the action and bashed nearly everything else. I'll admit, the story is weak: a young woman (Butler) hires a homeless merchant (Van Damme) to help find her father, who was murdered by a group of thugs (lead by Henriksen and Vosloo) who hunt and kill drifters for sport. It is after they discover what happened to her father that the plot becomes stale. But that is just when the violence really starts to take off. And the violence presented in such an artful way that only John Woo can do. Because believe it or not, action can be done in an artful way. There is tons and tons of violence (actually one of the most violent movies I have ever seen) done in a fun and exciting fashion. With a 90's look and music incorporated, it is only natural that this would be one of the best action flicks of the decade.