Hard Target

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Hard Target

R

1993

1h 34m

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

63%

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40 Reviews

50%

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25,000+ Ratings

Chance Boudreaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), a sailor skilled in martial arts, is employed to guard Natasha Binder (Yancy Butler) as she tracks down her father, an itinerant Vietnam veteran living in New Orleans named Douglas (Chuck Pfarrer). They soon uncover a sinister group of wealthy men who hunt the homeless for sport, paying them $10,000 if they can survive a crosstown journey. When Chance discovers that Natasha's father was one of their victims, he decides to destroy the evil hunters.

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Critics Consensus

Hard Target gets a boost from John Woo's stylish direction, but at heart, it's still another silly, explosion-dependent action thriller in the Jean-Claude Van Damme oeuvre.

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Duane Byrge

The Hollywood Reporter

09/03/2020

The combo is an incendiary mix: Woo unleashes all barrels in vintage Hong Kong action style while Van Damme delivers not only his martial-arts prowess but some well-developed acting skills as well.

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Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

11/13/2017

3/5

Though it lacks the epic feel and melodramatic sincerity of Woo's Oriental movies, this is nevertheless first-rate action.

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Emanuel Levy

Variety

10/10/2006

C+

A disappointing American debut of the Hong Kong cult director John Woo is a decent action vehicle by standards of its star Jean-Claude Van Damme but, hampered by a B script and flat characters, it doesn't bear Woo's auteurist signature and unique vision

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

Mar 27

With Woo’s eye for fluid, worshipful action, Hard Target is also the best-looking, most stylish movie in Van Damme’s oeuvre.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Sep 25

6/10

Dedicated primarily to bloodshed and excitement, this is the kind of movie in which anything shot at tends to explode in conspicuously cinematic fireballs, while limited ammo rarely affects those unleashing countless rounds from easily-obtained guns.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

01/12/2025

5/10

An action film from Woo that delivers high doses of testosterone, but it frequents commonplaces and, ultimately, never hits the mark with all the clichés that adorn its plot of violence, gunfights and kicking. [Full review in Spanish]

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Allan C

@RT15713161 Aug 2

Jean Claude punches a snake! Hard Target (1993) *** HARD TARGET is a gloriously silly action movie that marks John Woo's Hollywood debut, packed with slow motion, dual pistols, absurd set pieces, and a finale that somehow makes exploding Mardi Gras floats seem perfectly reasonable. Jean-Claude Van Damme is hilariously wooden, but a scenery-chewing Lance Henriksen, Arnold Vosloo, Wilford Brimley, and unforgettable moments like JCVD punching a snake elevate this into a wildly entertaining guilty pleasure. SEE LETTERBOXED FOR FULL REVIEW

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Romas M

@Romas Jul 18

Greetings from Lithuania. "Hard Target" (1993) was John Woo's first film as a director in Hollywood. Considering great films that he made before, this one is solid film in terms of great stunts, pyrotechnic, kinetic action and craftsmanship. Jean-Claude Van Damme was in his top form here and action is spectacular. Lance Henriksen is over the top villain but it suits the material. Overall, "Hard Target" is an easy film to recommend for people looking for a film with a not complicated plot, tons of good looking explosions and gunfight. It is a good genre film.

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Jason W

@Thejasonwatts May 17

Classic action, classic mullet.

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MercersLaw T

@RT56563753 May 2

A classic Van Damme film. A ridiculous plot where hunting humans in the basically empty streets of New Orleans seems like normal everyday behaviour, so much so that they only send a single officer to try and take them down (who fails) before Van Damme takes them down. Over the top and entertaining. One especially ridiculous part throughout the film is the main villain discarding his empty shells at the scene of the murders leaving fingerprints on the casings

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bill h

@Bamabill1992 Jan 21

This is the type of movie that's just fun! Somehow modern movies can't make them like this anymore? Not sure why? I guess having a white man helping a woman is not appropriate for modern audiences. If you like action and not offended by a man being the hero, it's a great, fun movie to watch.

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Joy B.

@9mr_0 Jan 2

فيلم جيد من حيث الإخراج والتصوير، والحركة و تصميم المعارك المخرج عرف كيف يستغل قدرات فان دام الجسدية، خصوصًا مرونة جسمه وخبرته في فنون القتال الفلم يركز على فان دام وحضورة و قتالة اكثر من القصة حسيت المخرج يقول لفان دام مو مهم شنو تتكلم المهم تقاتل وهذا ينقلنا الى القصة كانت عادية وسطحية، لا تحمل عمقًا دراميًا، وأحداث الفيلم متسارعة ماكو بناء حقيقي للاحداث . طاقم التمثيل أداؤه ضعيف جدا مع ردّات فعل مبالغ بها . ما لاحظت أي تطوّر لشخصيات الفيلم الجميع يبقى على نفس الوتيرة من البداية حتى النهاية. البطلة تحديدًا ظهرت بشكل كرتوني كانها لازم تكون حاضره وبس كل شيء ما عملت حضورها محدود فقط دفعت احداث الفلم بالختصار الفيلم لا يهتم بالشخصيات و القصة بقدر اهتمامه بالحركة

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John Woo

Director

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Chance Boudreaux

Lance Henriksen

Emil Fouchon

Arnold Vosloo

Pik van Cleef

Yancy Butler

Natasha `'Nat'` Binder

Kasi Lemmons

Det. Marie Mitchell

Hard Target: Official Clip - Gas Can to the Face

2:12

Hard Target: Official Clip - Hunter Becomes the Hunted

3:31

Hard Target: Official Clip - Fighting Crime in Style

2:53

Hard Target: Official Clip - Uncle Douvee

2:26

Hard Target: Official Clip - Missed the Party

2:21

Hard Target: Official Clip - Motorcycle Chase

2:59

Hard Target: Official Clip - Warehouse Shootout

2:26

Hard Target: Official Clip - He's All Ears

2:22

Hard Target: Official Clip - Rattlesnake Trap

2:30

Hard Target: Official Clip - Hunting Season is Over

3:13

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Synopsis

Chance Boudreaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), a sailor skilled in martial arts, is employed to guard Natasha Binder (Yancy Butler) as she tracks down her father, an itinerant Vietnam veteran living in New Orleans named Douglas (Chuck Pfarrer). They soon uncover a sinister group of wealthy men who hunt the homeless for sport, paying them $10,000 if they can survive a crosstown journey. When Chance discovers that Natasha's father was one of their victims, he decides to destroy the evil hunters.

Director: John Woo
Producer: James Jacks, Sean Daniel
Screenwriter: Chuck Pfarrer
Production Co: Alphaville Films, Renaissance Pictures, Universal Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 10, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $31.5M
Runtime: 1h 34m
Sound Mix: Surround

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