Hard Target [Blu-ray]

One of Van Dammes best!

It was great

Good action movie

BOTTOM LINE: This film certainly won't win any awards for its script or acting, but for balls-to-the-wall action fans John Woo's HARD TARGET is a pretty solid choice, and remains one of the better bare-knuckled titles on Jean-Claude's rough & ready resume. 4 STARSTHE STORY: Former soldiers are hunted for sport in this thinly-veiled reworking of 1987's DEADLY PREY, 1992's DEATH RING, and of course the great-granddaddy of all "hunting people for sport" movies, 1932's THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME. Jean-Claude Van Damme stars in this John (The Killer) Woo-directed actioner as Chance Boudreaux, an out of work ex-Marine Force Recon soldier eeking out a living in New Orleans as a merchant sailor. He becomes involved in the barbaric human trafficking/trophy hunting plot when he crosses paths with a young girl who arrives in town trying to locate her ex-Vietnam vet father. Turns out dear old dad was just found dead, the most recent player in a deadly contest where homeless ex-combat veterans are tempted with the promise of $10,000 cash if they're willing to be live game for ultra-rich types yearning for something more sporting to hunt than the usual four-footed quarry.THOUGHTS: Jean-Claude must've wiped out an entire 55 gallon drum of Dippity-Doo to keep his lethal mullet in check for this motion picture; certainly one of the stronger movies of his career. HARD TARGET is an extremely thick-headed but also undoubtedly well concocted action-fest; an early-90's entree in the "blowed up real good" action-hero heyday of films cranked out in the early-1980's to mid-1990's. Remember those? You know, where every object hit with a bullet blows up with the explosive force of a stick of dynamite, the guns have bottomless clips and heroes are all but superhuman, capable of wiping out half the bad guys on Earth without breaking a sweat - unless it makes them look cool. Ahhh... those were the days! Anyhow, in this amazing film we are treated to prolific, craggy-faced character actor Lance (I can do this part in my sleep) Hendrickson playing villainous Emil Fouchon, a psychotic sleezebag who, for an outrageous fee, arranges the savage one-sided manhunts. He plays the role with gruff bellowing gusto but looks so bug-eyed and pinch-faced throughout the entire film that he comes across like a man who hasn't had a good bowel movement since Nixon was in office. Cuckoo-eyed Arnold Vasloo adds his hammy charm playing gleefully unhinged Pik van Cleef, the lethal but loony sidekick of Hendrickson's character. And finally, Wilford Brimley rounds out the lead cast as Chance's lovable moonshine-making uncle Douvee, channeling Justin "the Cajun cook" Wilson and assaulting our ears with what is perhaps THE worst Cajun accent in the history of ever. ("Hoo, I garowntee dat!")Hong Kong action-meister extraordinaire John (THE KILLER, HARD BOILED) Woo directs this wall-to-wall punch & kick hooplah. Strangely, Woo's attempts to replicate his hometown success here in the States were uneven and shaky, at best. This film, along with FACE-OFF and BROKEN ARROW remain his best American-made efforts. His absolutely unique, uber-violent, over-the-top directorial style (for better or worse) influenced a generation of up & coming young directors, all eager to clone Woo's operatic, wholly hyper-excessive cinematic bloodfests. He plays his entire hand of trademark cards in HARD TARGET, too: the 2-gun kid mode, leaping through mid-air firing a zillion rounds, lots of stylish slow motion scenes, and poetic flapping bird shots galore. HARD TARGET features a nice use of urban & rural locations in and around New Orleans, adding to the unique look of the film, while a zydeco-flavored bluesy soundtrack colors the movie with authentic bayou character. The brutal fight choreography & explosive pyrotechnics (and there are TONS of both) are all expertly done, helping kick this otherwise routine blood 'n' bullets entry up several notches. If you're looking for a stereotypically macho action film, (with a few silly asides), that also happens to sport truly artistic visual flare, then HARD TARGET is a rockin' good flick to pick.THE BLU-RAY: The hi-def Blu for HARD TARGET is a barebones effort, but at least it offers a clean picture & strong, level soundmix. Picture is crisp for the most part, with only minimal artifacting & pixelation. Compression isn't much of an issue nor is overuse of DNR, thankfully. Color palette is well-represented and filmgrain is evident. Sadly, the only bonus feature is the film's theatrical trailer. Bummer.

Live this movie and so sharp and clear on blu-ray!

great clip

I like Van Damme movies

Ok B movie. Sat night special.