X
- 1993
- Unrated
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 37 m
- 1993
- Unrated
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 37 m
Summary A woman hires a drifter as her guide through New Orleans in search of her father, who has gone missing. They discover a deadly game of cat and mouse behind his disappearance in the process.
Directed By: John Woo
Written By: Chuck Pfarrer
- 1993
- Unrated
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 37 m
- 1993
- Unrated
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 37 m
Hard Target
63
6.5
Where to Watch
Summary A woman hires a drifter as her guide through New Orleans in search of her father, who has gone missing. They discover a deadly game of cat and mouse behind his disappearance in the process.
Directed By: John Woo
Written By: Chuck Pfarrer
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
63
59% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
36% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
63
59% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
36% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
With Woo, violence is not just a means to an end. It's something pretty; it's fascinating. His talent is an original and peculiar one. Woo brings an esthetic sensibility to bear on the phenomenon of a good guy beating people up -- and to the spectacle of a violent shoot-out. Explosions aren't just impressive but beautiful. [20 Aug 1993, p.C1]
To be fair, this isn't The Killer. Woo's unique penchant for over-the-top male bonding is basically nowhere to be seen, but then this is, after all, a very American story, despite Woo's name at the top.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 16 User Ratings
6.5
50% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
44% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
6% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 16 User Ratings
6.5
50% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
44% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
6% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
It's a spectacular ballet of death, lavishing upon us the highest body count of any action movie since "Total Recall," and its cynical panache marks a return to form for kickboxer Jean-Claude Van Damme, whose recent vehicles have sputtered. Not "Hard Target," though, which floors it from start to finish as it sends Van Damme after a vicious gang that rounds up homeless vets to serve as sacrificial victims for rich hunters in New Orleans. [20 Aug 1993, p.43]
The good news is there still are scenes to peel back the eyelids, beginning with a nighttime stalking and ending with some slambang mano a mano encounters in a warehouse for Mardi Gras floats - the kind of restricted setting of which Woo is a master. But the adrenaline lift, not to mention the deeper dimensions, of such films of his as "The Killer" are missing in action. [20 Aug 1993, p.46]
The movie's firepower would shame the devil. It's what Hollywood wanted Woo for: bigger, brighter explosions.
Though working on a Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle can be seen as a comedown for Woo, he rises to the occasion to create an often rousing entertainment that is almost inarguably Van Damme's best film to date.
Hard Target is pretty much a bust from every conceivable aspect, except the visual -- it looks terrific, and one sequence, a shoot-out on the streets of New Orleans between Van Damme and a progressively larger number of bad guys, comes close to capturing the trademark frenzied, exhilarating feel of Woo's previous work. [20 Aug 1993, p.5]
Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Win & 4 Nominations
MTV Movie + TV Awards
• 2 Nominations
