Hard Target (1993) – Review

If you like mullets and gratuitous slow-motion explosions have I got a film for you. In an entry that takes the premise of Richard Connell’s story “The Most Dangerous Game” to ridiculous heights and then tosses in Jean-Claude Van Damme in for good measure, we have an absolutely glorious action flick on our hand. So, grab your denim jacket, comb your mullet, crank up the volume, and enjoy the ride!

This particular take on Richard Connell’s 1924 short story “The Most Dangerous Game” deals with hunt organizers Emil Fouchon (Lance Henriksen) and Pik van Cleef (Arnold Vosloo), one a ruthless businessman and the other his right-hand man/mercenary. These two arrange the hunting of homeless men as a form of recreational sport for bored rich men who are willing to pay top dollar for the privilege of killing the “most dangerous game” but the wrinkle in their enterprise comes when their current prey, a former Marine and now a homeless man (Chuck Pfarrer), turns out to have family and his disappearance brings his daughter Natasha Binder (Yancy Butler) to New Orleans to look for him. Things quickly go from bad to worse. Of course, the real complication comes in the form of Chance Boudreaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), an out-of-work homeless Cajun merchant seaman and former United States Force Recon Marine, whom Natasha enlists in her search for her missing father. Needless to say, Fouchon does not take such interference all that well.

Note: In the history of over-the-top villainous performances, Lance Henricksen as Emil Fouchon is easily in the top five. He gleefully chews the scenery as it explodes around him.

There is not much of a plot to this entry, other than giving us enough plot points to fill in the “Most Dangerous Game” framework, as we get Van Damme and Butler finding themselves in the cross-hairs of Fouchon and his minions due to their insistent meddling, with Arnold Vosloo proving he’s the go-to villain when it comes to this type of things as he chews up almost as much scenery as Lance Henriksen.  So our heroes will be chased from one location to the next and after an impromptu trip into the swamp they take a detour to pick up Chance’s Uncle Clarence Douvee (Wilfred Brimley), who is here to add a bit of “Cajun” colour to the proceedings. He not only provides our hero with a shotgun he also gives us the most hilariously bad French accent you’ve ever heard.

 

“Eat your damn Quaker Oats, boy!”

In the field of 90s action films Hard Target delivers more kicks than a Rockette on steroids. Van Damme is like a ballet dancer, except instead of pirouettes, he’s spinning roundhouse kicks into bad guys’ faces. It’s a thing of beauty, really. If that doesn’t make you want to watch this movie immediately, I don’t know what will. But what truly sets John Woo’s take on “The Most Dangerous Game” apart is its commitment to excess. Need a motorcycle chase through the streets of New Orleans? Check. How about a man running in slow motion from an explosion? Double check. What I’m saying is that this movie is a checklist of clichés and tropes of the genre, and is better for it as it brings everything to the table that fans could want.

 

“Have you ever fired two guns whilst jumping through the air?”

But perhaps the most impressive feat of Hard Target is its ability to make you forget about things like physics and logic while all this is going on. Cars explode for no reason, people survive falls that would make Evel Knievel wince, and somehow Van Damme’s muscles manage to look even bigger when he’s covered in dirt and sweat. I was kind of surprised that John Woo didn’t include a scene where Van Damme’s mullet would disengage from his head and take out one of the hunters all on its own. Who says John Woo can’t show restraint? And just when you think they’ve reached peak insanity, they throw in a scene where Van Damme punches a snake. Yes, you read that correctly, he punches a snake. But will our two heroes survive when they are so grossly outnumbered – Wilfred Brimley can only do so much – and with both Arnold Voslo and Lance Henriksen after them, how could they possibly win?

 

Easily, these guys are as dumb as they are evil.

The type of bad guys this film has on hand are of the overconfident variety – Fouchon uses a gun that only fires one bullet before needing a reload and he refuses to let Van Cleef simply kill Chance when he has the opportunity – and all of these “hunters” can’t even shoot a guy coming towards them in slow motion. These are caricatures of villainy, complete with evil smirks and over-the-top monologues. You’ll find yourself simultaneously rooting for Van Damme to kick their butts while applauding their commitment to being deliciously evil. With their over-the-top accents and evil goatee twirling, you’ll wonder if they stumbled out of a Saturday morning cartoon. But hey, we’re not here for subtlety, right? We’re here for the sheer joy of watching Van Damme do splits while kicking butt. Of course, the real villain of this piece is the City of New Orleans which is populated by citizens who seem rather blasé about people being hunted through their streets.

 

“Nothing to see here folks, move along.”

Stray Observations:

• The rules of this particular “Most Dangerous Game” are simple, if the prey make it ten miles through the city and reach the river, they get to keep a money belt with $10,000 inside it, but Douglas Binder is killed while running out on a dock that sticks out over the river. I’m starting to think this game is rigged.
• Fouchon stops a client from shooting the “prey” while the man is running through an abandoned train yard, stating “This isn’t Beirut,” yet he lets him noisily open fire while in a cemetery within the French Quarter. I’m starting to think New Orleans is a terrible tourist destination.
• How do you know you’re watching a John Woo film? If you see a group of pigeons or white doves flying up in slow motion it’s a good chance you’re watching a John Woo movie.
• While this movie does avoid the cliché of a movie set in New Orleans taking place during Mardis Gras, it does have its final act in a warehouse storing old Mardis Gras parade floats. And who knew paper mache could be so explosive?
• Chance empties an entire magazine of bullets into a man’s chest but then he delivers a roundhouse kick to the poor schmuck’s head. Now, I’m not one to knock a person’s style but that did seem rather unnecessary.
• The military term “hard target” refers to something heavily defended or not accessible to the general public, which doesn’t quite apply to Jean-Claude Van Damme.

 

Can his awesome mullet be considered a defensive measure?

With a film being directed by the legendary action maestro John Woo you know you are in good hands, and Hard Target wastes no time in immersing us in a whirlwind of adrenaline-fueled action sequences.  John Woo’s signature style shines through in every frame. With meticulously choreographed gunfights, explosive stunts, and breathtakingly choreographed fight scenes we get everything one could want out of an action flick and Van Damme is the quintessential 90s action hero who fills the “You fucked with the wrong guy” trope perfectly. And while it may not be a masterpiece of storytelling, the film’s relentless pace and unabashed embrace of these action cinema tropes make it a thoroughly entertaining experience. It’s clear that filmmakers weren’t trying to reinvent the wheel but rather to deliver heart-pounding thrills and larger-than-life spectacle, a goal it achieves with aplomb.

 

I’d have loved it if The Predator had shown up.

In conclusion, Hard Target is a prototypical action movie that delivers exactly what it promises: adrenaline-pumping action, memorable set pieces, and a charismatic lead performance from Jean-Claude Van Damme. For fans of action cinema and lovers of adaptations of “The Most Dangerous Game,” this is a must-watch example and one that stands the test of time, showcasing the talents of its cast and crew in a spectacle of pure adrenaline-fueled escapism. Strap in, hold on tight and prepare for a wild ride through the heart of the bayou.