HARD TARGET
A film review by Jon Ridge
Copyright 1993 Jon Ridge
CAST: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Yancy Butler, Lance Henriksen, Arnold Vosloo,
Wilford Brimley
DIRECTOR: John Woo
SCREENPLAY: Chuck Pfarrer
RELEASE: August 20, 1993
For just a couple of years now, a certain film director has been doing for action films what Marisa Tomei did earlier this year for the "love interest" character in film--breathing life into it. If you've not guessed by now, the man I'm talking about is none other than John Woo. The only problem is that Mr. Woo has been doing his thing over in Japan, and not in the U.S. of A. Woo's THE KILLER had so much word of mouth in Japan, that once the film arrived in the states in 1990 it was welcomed with a massive dose of critical praise. Well, the wait is finally over. John Woo is here, and his American debut goes the distance to prove that he is here to stay.
The story is particularly simple: A Vietnam vet is murdered by a group of trigger-happy hunters--partial to that race of human beings--and the man's daughter goes looking for him. It seems he was homeless, and to get the proper tour of her father's homeland, the daughter enlists the help of a down-and-out sailor named Chance Beaudreaux (played by Van Damme). Chance needs two-hundred bucks to ship out of New Orleans, and figures that by taking this young and innocent woman up on her offer, he can get what he needs. To convince her that he's the man for the job, Chance fights away some homeless thugs looking to rip Natalie(the daughter, played by Yancy Butler) off of a few hundred dollars, using his fists and feet to crush bones like nothing you've ever seen in a Van Damme movie before.
Natalie is definitely convinced. She and Chance soon discover that her father was murdered, and this leads them to cross paths with the leader of the afore-mentioned group (played by Lance Henriksen). *and* we get another murder-of-a-homeless scene. The vet who's killed this time is someone Chance knew as a friend, and--well, you can probably figure out the rest.
The story *is* simple at heart, but it isn't really the story that's important here--it's the story*telling*. This is a dynamite action film. Director John Woo uses techniques--like slow-mo, quick-cut, and freeze frame--that other directors have either taken for granted or have been too afraid to use, and creates an entirely new kind of action movie that most American audiences have never seen before. It's exciting stuff, and it has a truly explosive impact to it (especially in the climax, at an empty warehouse in the bayous). The characterizations *do* leave much to be desired--Van Damme has one grimacing expression plastered on his mug at all times (does this guy *ever* smile...?), and Yancy Butler doesn't have much to do here--but, again, these things are nothing more than serviceable to John Woo's unique directorial style. He's a master at this kind of movie making.
If you see HARD TARGET, but still want more Woo, check out some of his earlier Japanese work (like THE KILLER and HARD BOILED). These movies all have one thing in common: a superior artist at work. I can compare Woo with Quentin Tarantino in that the two are fresh forces in Hollywood who do not need or want to concede with any Hollywood standards. TARGET's ear-slicing scene had to be trimmed in order for the film to attain an R-rating. And perhaps that's saying something, too. Woo has a little to learn about the United States as far as movies are concerned, and the MPAA and censorship. But it's far from too late, and if Woo keeps up the good work he might even be able to break down the MPAA's standards on violence in the movies.
We can only hope.
CRITICAL RATING: *** Rated R, for Violence and Profanity
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