Review of The Hard Way (1991) by Timothy S — 05 May 2012

"The Hard Way" is a pretty standard cop buddy picture in which only one of the principals is actually a cop, and the routine material is elevated by a couple of strong lead performances. James Woods could play this part in his sleep, but there is a reason he keeps getting chosen for roles like this. He's good at them. The character is pretty ordinary, but Woods adds his usual vulgar demeanor to bring him to life, in a good way. Michael J. Fox is a lot of fun in a part that seems tailor-made for him, and yet it's still a departure from any of his previous work. One of the best scenes in the film comes early on when he discusses his desire to star in a grittier project with his agent, played by a terrific Penny Marshall. I would have liked to see more of her.

There is an unnecessary subplot involving the hunt for a serial killer played by a silly Stephen Lang that takes the movies down some dark and needlessly violent roads in full "Lethal Weapon" mode. But unlike the Mel Gibson classic, this has a decidedly lightweight feel to it and all of that nastiness feels out of place with the film's mostly comic tone. Lang, however, is seemingly enjoying chewing the scenery here, even if his character's motivation is never made clear. He's just a plot device to hang this movie on, but it would do just fine without him.

There's enough of a story here when the film focuses on Woods and Fox and their chemistry together. The finale is fun, with it's not-so-subtle homage to "North By Northwest", but it's slightly marred by it's obvious use of green screens and stunt doubles. There's not a lot of big laughs in "The Hard Way", but it is a very agreeable time-killer with a couple of good performances that help it rise above the ranks.