Customer Reviews

Hard Target

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

Is there really anything better then an early 90's action flick? The answer is of course NO! There's just something special about this era in action that keeps us always coming back for more with no end in sight. Out of all our great reviews surprisingly we are very low on the Van Damme count which is something that must change after watching the 5 star extravaganza Hard Target. The mussels from Brussels is surely in the top ten of all-time action hero's and now will have to be seriously considered in Sid's future B viewing options. It's really amazing how there is no possible way to run out of B material to watch and review.

Hard Target starts with ultra rugged Chance Boudreaux (Van Damme) whose unemployed and looking for a job in a very dangerous New Orleans. Enter Natasha Binder whose looking for here lost former combat vet father to only discover he's been murdered by Emil Fouchon (Lance Henriksen) and his partner Pik Van Cleef in a ver special way. Yeah he's been a victim of a human hunting game almost identical to the style in Death Ring! That leads us to believe they got a hold of the Death Ring script, saw the goldmine it was, and had to recruit Van Damme since Mike Norris was already taken. Once Natasha gets the help from Chance it's simply known as "go time." The only chance Lance Henriksen has against Van Damme is if he were to resurrect Pumpkinhead for a battle royal of B glory. Naturally Chance proves himself as the ultimate prey and even finishes off Emil with the old grenade down the pants trick.

So despite the fact that Hard Target clearly was overshadowed by the success of Mike, Cad, and Don in Death Ring it was still an amazingly awesome movie. Van Damme was a force to be reckoned with sporting the finest mullet since Chuck Norris in Hellbound. It's what gave him his super human strength in this movie. There were so many explosions and amazing fight scenes leaving us speechless. The best part, outside of the great ending showdown, had to be the motorcycle gunfight where Van Damme stand ups on his hog while shotting at a moving car to jump over it doing a shoulder roll and land on his feet. It's that typical fantastic action of the 90's that just can't be touched by anything else.

It's my belief that when John Woo came to America, Hollywood may have been excited but had no idea what to do with him - or, more aptly, whom to team him up with. Kurt Russell was uninterested, Seagal and Norris were busy doing their own things, and Schwarzenegger would have been a match made in hell, so Jean-Claude Van Damme seems to have been chosen by default. However, the combination made for not only a very strong entry into Van Damme's filmography during his run on top of the mainstream but also arguably the best American film Woo made...aside from Face/Off.

The story: Natasha Binder (Yancy Butler, Witchblade) comes to New Orleans to search for her missing father - a quest she will be joined on by a capable drifter called Chance (Van Damme, Bloodsport). She will need all his help and martial expertise to escape a deadly crime syndicate run by a sadistic gangster making money off the deaths of the homeless (Lance Henriksen, Aliens).

The script is written by Chuck Pfarrer, who penned Darkman and would later write a couple graphic novels. By large, it's a swell fit for Woo: there's some definite corniness to it and I could've done without quite as much sadism from the villains, but it does a good job of building a balanced movie around a simple idea, like the director's best work. Chance isn't a terribly out-of-the-ordinary character for Van Damme to play, but sticking the French-sounding Muscles from Brussels with a Cajun identity is a nice alternative from the usual born-in-America-raised-in-Europe mug he usually gets stuck with. The standout characters are definitely the villains: enforcer Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy) doesn't know karate or look physically intimidating, but he's easily one of the most effectively monstrous henchmen ever seen in a Van Damme movie; and Lance Henriksen is simply brilliant as the cold-hearted merchant of death. Wilford Brimley (The Thing) appears in the second film half as Chance's moonshine-making uncle and does a good job of endearing himself as the comic relief. The only real questionable character is Yancy Butler's: the woman can act, but Natasha is simply a dummy in distress.

John Woo reportedly turned down several martial arts-themed scripts before finding this one, so there isn't an abundance of hand-to-hand fisticuffs - a shame, considering that the bit there is looks pretty cool; a five-on-one encounter early in the film makes excellent use of sweeps and counter techniques. The rest of the action is made up of pretty decent chase scenes (where else will you see Van Damme fleeing attackers on both a motorcycle and then a horse in the same hour?) and gunplay derivatives from Woo's Hong Kong days. The latter is the one major disappointment the movie offers: the scene in the warehouse - inclusive of the badass bit where Vosloo and Van Damme shoot at eachother from opposite sides of a wall - is pretty darn cool, but on the whole, the shootouts are a step down from the perfection of the director's previous work. They're a bit too formulaic, incorporate way too much slow-motion, and the absence of any long, uninterrupted shots suggests that Van Damme had less endurance than Chow Yun-Fat or Tony Leung.

The Louisiana setting is charming by default, but overall, it's the obvious fun that Woo had making this movie that seeps through and helps cement this one's agreeable blockbuster tone. Some "classic" aspects of ol' John's work are overutilized (e.g. how many shots of flying doves can you shove into a single scene?) and may make the film seem hokey to casual viewers, but hey - what were you doing watching this movie, anyway, if you weren't up for a bit of silliness? It's a strong, stylized vehicle for Van Damme and a colorful montage of many of John Woo's strengths; not perfect but definitely worth a watch, from general action fans to devotees.

By far the best movie from the "Muscles from Brussells" and in terms of action-spectacle, one of the best John Woo has made. It has some of the best shootouts he has ever orchestrated.

I recommend this film only to action fans, particularly those who enjoy the bullet-ballet genre, mostly associated with John Woo. There isn't much here for people who enjoy a splendid Jane Austen film.

Furthermore, if anyone is a fan of this film and you haven't already done so, check out the classic Dolph Lundgren film "Joshua Tree", AKA "Army of One" (released by Artisan Entertainment, and a terrible DVD by the way). It is directed by veteran hollywood stuntman Vic Armstrong. It contains one of the best shoot-outs ever and a great car chase. The shoot-out is very reminisent of John Woo.

For the die-hard fans, purchase the Uncut Pal version from Amazon.co.uk or even Region 4 (Australia), it's absolutely rockin! The 3 minutes of extended action raise the film to the ludicrous heights set by Commando in the 80's. Do yourself a favour and get it on Region 2 or Region 4, you won't be dissapointed. I'm fairly certain the 116 minute version will never see the light of day on anything other than a crappy bootleg VCD, but suppossedly most of the extra 20 minutes is an ear-slicing scene and sex and conversations.

By the way, Lance Henriksen and Arnold Vosloo are two of the best villians ever! Right up there with Vernon Wells from both Mad Max 2 the Road Warrior and Commando.

"Hard Target" Is Hong Kong action director John Woo's first forray into American film. That they tossed him a cheesy script and Van Damme for it proves that his American handlers weren't sure about his abilities. I'm happy to say that Woo proves himself to be an excellent action director who manages to get Van Damme's most interesting performance ever.

The plot is a basic "The Most Dangerous Game" [...]. Rich folk are hunting homeless Vietnam Vets in New Orleans for sport, with weapons and targets supplied by the always entertaining Lance Henriksen(Best known as Bishop the Android in "Aliens"). Van Damme plays a local longshorman/blue collar type who was raised in the Bayou by his crazy cajun Uncle(Hilariously portrayed by Wilford Brimley, who has a great time with his role). He comes across waywayd northerner Yancy Butler("Witchblade"), who is in town looking for her homeless vet father who got offed in the movie's opening sequence. The police are no help, and when Van Damme saves her from being attacked by local ruffians, she hires him to help her find her father. What follows are brilliantly over the top action sequences, and performances that are better than this movie deserves. Special mention must go to Arnold Vosloo(the Mummy in the new Mummy films) as the sadistic, consitantly amused by his own brutality VanCLeef, henchman of Henriksen. He knows the script is garbage, but plays the hell out of his role. His lines are great, and his demeanor perfect. Too bad he has to speak Ancient Egyptian in the Mummy films.

Van Damme is his usually bad self here, replying to the question "Why is your name Chance?" with a flat, accented "Because my momma took one". What does that mean? I don't know, but it sure comes out funny. He does get serious for the action scenes, and they are spectacular, particularly a motorcycle vs. truck showdown and the final battle in an old Mardi Gras wharehouse. So Woo breathes some life into the Muscles from Brussles.

The weakest link is Yancy Butler, who never switches from her monitone delivery, and emotes as well as a rock, but the over the top performances by Henricksen, Vosloo, and Brimley make up for it. Trust me, you've never heard a line like "Good whiskey makes jackrabbit slap the bear" until you've heard it from a cajun Wilford Brimley.

For the cheesey action fan, this is a must own. The action is better than the movie deserves, as Woo basically proves to the big guns in LA that he can make an American film, and the supporting performances make the bad script seem plausible. The rewatchability is high, and the film is alot of fun. So come on, be like Van Damme's momma and "Take a chance".

Arnold Vosloo is the best acotor in the world. This is one of the best movies he was in. If you are a fan of Arnold Vosloo then buy this movie! He is the best in this movie.

Hard Target is one of the best action films ever. Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a Cajun named Chance who stumbles into an evil plot to hunt homeless ex-Vietnam vets for fun. The vets have a chance to make more money than they will ever make in their life - or die. The weapon of choice is the lethal but mesmerizing crossbow. Chance has been raised by his loving Cajun grandfather, played by Wilford Brimley. A young woman asks Chance for help in searching for her homeless father, and he stumbles into the plot. Incredibly clever and resourceful Chance has nerves of steel. He gives the very bad guys an amazing chase through the streets and bayous of New Orleans.

The action scenes, sets, and music are great. Woo directs Van Damme and his athletic ability like a ballet.

Hard Target is one of my top ten favorite films.

Hard Target (1993) from John Woo, is an entertainment and action film
product, that will entirely meet a particular audience's need for all
types of hand-to-hand combat, action (horse riding, motorcycles, cars,
speed chases, helicopters and more), coupled with explosions, tension,
a plot that is decent for this type of film, and spotless filming.

With a cast comprised of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Lance Henriksen,
the action is coupled with serious acting ...and a fair bit of drama
and charisma, as they interact with other characters, as well.

For this type of movie, this is a keeper.... bravo. It is also head
and shoulders above the similar SURVIVING THE GAME.