Product Details

• Actors: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lance Henriksen
• Directors: John Woo
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: July 1, 1998
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0783227892
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,649 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Hard Target" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Jean-Claude Van Damme, "the Muscles from Brussels," has sought to revitalize his flagging career by working with the most adrenalized directors from Hong Kong action films. His first such effort was this, the umpteenth remake of The Most Dangerous Game, which teamed him with Hong Kong's most fluid action poet, John Woo. Woo does what he can but, as much magic as he injects into the action, he can't turn Van Damme into an actor. Still, this is above-average fare for the wooden Belgian, in which he plays a guy trying to bust a ring of hunters who pay for the right to track and kill human quarry. And Woo has the ever-reliable Lance Henriksen as the chief bad guy, always a plus. --Marshall Fine

Product Description

Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lance Hendriksen. Van Damme comes up against killers who arrange human safaris" as sport for the very rich. 1993/color/97 min/R/(CC].

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You Must find the Uncut version! May 23, 2000

By A Customer

Format:VHS Tape

The R-rated version of Hard Target is what happens when censorship gets out of hand. The Uncut verison is so much better, if you can find it than I highly recommend you get it! This film really does belong up there with John Woo's pervious films. It's very violent with lots of action that will surely keep you interested. John Woo is the best! The ending was great, I will not spoil it! but there is one part I didn't really like, that's the whole Shoot than jump in the air kick routine Van Damme did while killing the bad guys seemed really out of place, it's like the kicks were just added because he's Van Damme and I guess John Woo thought most Americans would want to see Van Damme's sissy kicks. As for the actors..... Van Damme is a horrible one, I heard they were going to cast Kurt Russell as the lead instead which would have made the movie 100 times better cut or uncut! But alas! we were stuck with stiff Van Damme, his bad accent on top of another bad accent and his horrible hair. But all is forgiven when sexy Arnold Vosloo (Pik Van Cleaf) makes his way on to the screen, what a wonderful job he did! He literally stole the show from Van Damme with every sence they had together in my book. Lance Herkersion(sp) was also great! all the way through! These two worked great together as the bad guys, they will send chills down your spine, just the thought that there could be guys like them out in the world is really creepy! My favortie sence will have to be the introduction of Pik when he comes in contact with Chance for the first time in Randell Poe's office, the dude looked like the devil standing at that door! A job well done! I will rate this one (R-rated) with 3 stars, but the Uncut one deserves five stars all the way! the difference is, one is a Van Damme film, the other is a John Woo film!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Censorship & Hard Target - The American Version sucks! January 16, 2000

By AW

Format:DVD

As a big Van Damme fan and DVD collector, I was very eager to get hold of Hard Target on DVD. It is only available on video here in the UK so I ordered the DVD from the USA. I was shocked to find that the US version is much shorter with a lot of action cut out.

This seems unusual to me as in all other instances in my experience, the opposite is true. For instance, the American version of Cyborg is ten minutes longer than the heavily censored British release. I think I will stick with my UK VHS version of Hard Target. I hope it comes out on DVD here in England. Any true Van Damme fan must get hold of this full version! Feel free to e-mail me if you are interested in this topic.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A more dangerous game October 17, 2000

By Inspector Gadget

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

John Woo's Hollywood career has been turbulent, which nothing really defining him as a great action director. Broken Arrow was bland, the overrated Face/Off was even less fun, M:I 2 was the movie equivalent of a Big Mac, Windtalkers was absolute trash, as was Paycheck. But at least he started out on the right foot with Hard Target. Unfortunately neither the studios nor the MPAA were familiar with his OTT style of bloody action, and the film was neutered before it was exposed to movie-goers.

Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as Chance Boudreaux an out of work sailor slumming it in New Orleans, and boy is it a terrible performance, the Belgian kickboxer just isn't even trying a little bit. This was also made during the 90s, when he wore his belt-line directly underneath his nipples in an effort to look taller. Chance meets a pretty girl called Natasha (Yancy Butler, who despite being gorgeous seemed to just drop off the radar completely) and helps her find her missing dad. But during the course of their investigation they discover a game of death in which rich folks hunt the homeless.

Apparently Woo wanted Kurt Russell in the lead, but with Van Damme's sub-par skills draining fun from the film the best performances come from the always brilliant Lance Henriksen and Arnold Vosloo as the main villain and right-hand man. Mr. Woo's gunfighting and action SHOULD also make the film more enjoyable, though compared to his original vision, a 116-minute epic, the final cut is butchered 97-minute could-have-been. All the John Woo trademarks are here, but it's hard to enjoy it knowing what was cut out.

This truly ancient DVD is very drab and murky looking with low resolution. The sound is good though. As usual for DVDs from this era the Menus are extremely dated.

Universal really, really, really do need to get John Woo's full Director's Cut out there on Blu Ray.