Hard Target *** (1993, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lance Henriksen, Yancy Butler) – Classic Movie Review 1723

Director John Woo’s 1993 action thriller provides Jean-Claude Van Damme with one of his better vehicles, as Chance Boudreaux, a down-on-his-luck New Orleans merchant seaman who comes to the aid of determined young Detroit lawyer Nat’ Binder (Yancy Butler) who has come to New Orleans searching for her missing father.

The duo find that homeless Vietnam veterans are being used as prey in human hunting games, and that Butler’s father is the latest victim of a lethal and sadistic operation by an organisation that is selling the opportunity to hunt human prey. Van Damme then takes on an evil ex-mercenary Emil Fouchon (Lance Henriksen), the ice-cold, morally-challenged organiser of the human safaris for rich businessmen. The hunt then moves from the mean streets of New Orleans, where the hunters are taking advantage of a police strike, on to the treacherous Louisiana bayoux.

Happily teaming Woo in his first Hollywood attempt with the Muscles from Brussels Van Damme, this fairly imaginative Nineties updating of the O’Henry prize winning story The Most Dangerous Game and its 1932 classic film adaptation may be only a B-movie action thriller with a great deal of nasty violence, but it is none the less efficient and enjoyable on that level. Van Damme in his prime makes an excellent hero and Henriksen an inspired villain. Woo keeps it crisp and fast moving. The good cast also includes Wilford Brimley, Arnold Vosloo, Kasi Lemmons and Chuck Pfarrer,

The much more satisfying full, uncut Director’s Cut version runs 116 minutes and contains considerable extra footage not seen in the  97-minute cinema release version. The film was to have climaxed with a boat chase, but was changed to a pursuit on horseback at Van Damme’s urging. This final 20-minute action climax is a blast.

Rated R for a large amount of strong violence, and for language.

John woo says: ‘I got many offers from Hollywood studios. The producer and scriptwriters flew to Hong Kong and asked me to do the picture. Van Damme wanted a change. He wanted to prove himself as an actor. And he asked me to do the film. I thought I could do some magic. I know myself. I’m pretty sure of my abilities of how to make an actor look great on the screen, make him look like a hero. The original script was pretty good. And I did try to do the things that I did with Chow Yun-Fat and make Van Damme look different.’

Wilford Brimley celebrated his 80th birthday on September 27 2014.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1723

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