| Hard Target (1993) Cast:Jean-Claude Van Damme,Lance Henriksen,Yancy Butler,Wilford Brimley,Arnold Vosloo Van Damme plays a sailor who ends up helping a woman looking for her homeless father and who just so happened to be a client in Henriksen's hunting game (Where he hunts people) Of course Henriksen sends the usual type of goons to snuff the two out, but when Van Damme proves hard to kill, Van Damme becomes the trophy prey for Henriksen and his clients, in this underrated actioner which is certainly a lot better than what people give credit for. Hard Target was dismissed by many as just another throwaway actioner which had no real merit whatsoever, however when one watches Hard Target, one doesn't understand why Hard Target was so hated, it delivers mainly what it promises and nothing more. Certainly those expecting Woo to make an excellent movie on his debut will be disappointed but Woo at least manages to make a worthwhile actioner which is superior in most ways to U.S actioners.The script itself is routine and while things get over the top, Woo's strong directing makes Hard Target enjoyable enough to be worth watching. For an example of how bad this could've been, one can look at the awful Surviving The Game which contains none of the polish or high energy actionscenes that make Hard Target worth seeing. It's true Woo can certainly do better, but Hard Target is an overall solid movie. D.John Woo *** |