Review of Hard Target (1993) by Douglas L — 11 Nov 2011

Now, it is very easy to blow this movie off due to the fact that it is a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie from the early 90s. Granted it is a very cheesy action movie but it also has a few things going for it:

1. Lance Henriksen - he is one of the penultimate bad guys in the movie biz. Evil just seems to exude from his pores when he turns it on. He also proves that he has the on-screen power to take on Van Damme in the last scene.

2. Arnold Vosloo - if you don't recognize the name he is another one that plays the badddies really well. He was the Mummy, he was Zartan in GI Joe and, of course, in Hard Target he plays Pick Van Cleaf. From the accent to the smooth way that he enters and exits a scene he screams badness like a siren.

3. Classic John Woo / Jean-Claude Van Damme - this movie has it all. Slo-mo, people being kicked, doves, lens reflections, well choreographed fight scenes and of course some of the cheesiest dialogue ever written and spoken.

You haven't watched this flick for a while, admit it. You remember watching it when you were younger, maybe like me you watched it in the theater and sat on the edge of your seat. Either way find it. It is a 'watch instantly' title on Netflix right now. Spend a few hours with Jean-Claude.

BTW - if he was a better actor and younger he would have been Gambit in an X-Men title. May have even had his own origins movie like Hugh Jackman. He was born to play Remy.