Hard Target

Name: Hard Target
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Thriller
Released: 1993-04-27
Duration: 1 h 39 min
Rating: 6.6
Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Arnold Vosloo, Lance Henriksen, Yancy Butler, Sven-Ole Thorsen

Don't hunt what you can't kill.

Hard Target (1993)

Timing: 1:39 (99 min)

6.6/10
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6.5/10
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6.2/10
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Everything about the movie

Video 8

Photo 63

Actors and characters

Video for the film Hard Target — Hard Target (1993) Original Trailer [FHD]

2:05

Photo 63

Release date

1993-04-27

Country

United States

Production

Universal Pictures, Alphaville, Renaissance Pictures

Genre

Action, Adventure, Crime, Thriller

Budget

$15 000 000

Box office

$74 189 677

Website

Director

John Woo

Actors

Jean-Claude Van Damme, Arnold Vosloo, Lance Henriksen, Yancy Butler, Sven-Ole Thorsen, Wilford Brimley, Ted Raimi, Kasi Lemmons, Willie C. Carpenter, Eliott Keener
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Sean Daniel, James Jacks, Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert

Camera operator

Russell Carpenter

Composer

Graeme Revell

Artist

Phil Dagort, Monroe Kelly

Audition

Valerie McCaffrey, Nancy Nayor

Editing

Bob Murawski, Patricia Serafina Madiedo
Whole Team (157)

Short description

When a woman's father goes missing, she enlists a local to aid in her search. The pair soon discover that her father has died at the hands of a wealthy sportsman who hunts homeless men as a form of recreation.

What's left behind the scenes

The rough cut of the film is 127 minutes long.
In one of the final scenes at the abandoned factory, the coat of the character played by Lance Henriksen catches fire due to an explosion, and the special gel used by stunt performers to prevent burns is clearly visible on his hair and neck.
Kurt Russell was originally planned for the lead role, but his schedule was so tight that they would have had to wait two years for an opening. That’s why they decided to give the role to Jean-Claude Van Damme, whom John Woo knew from working together on the action film “Double Impact” (1991) in Hong Kong.
The film was initially given an 'NC-17' rating by the MPAA due to scenes of excessive violence. John Woo re-edited the film seven times to achieve an 'R' rating.
The management of the film company “Universal Pictures” feared that director John Woo’s poor knowledge of English would be a problem during filming, so Sam Raimi was constantly nearby just in case. Among other things, he was always ready to replace Woo in the director’s chair if necessary.
John Woo's first American film, and the first major Hollywood film directed by an Asian filmmaker.
John Woo's first American film, as well as the first major Hollywood production directed by an Asian filmmaker.
At the 59th minute, Chance Boudreaux rides towards a car on a motorcycle. When the camera briefly moves to the car's interior, it becomes apparent that a stuntman is operating the motorcycle instead of Jean-Claude Van Damme. From this angle, it's also visible that the motorcycle is using additional supports near the rear wheel for increased stability.
The surname of Pike Van Cleef is a tribute to actor Lee Van Cleef, who was known for his roles as cold-blooded and taciturn villains.
The film's final action scene was intended to be a boat chase, but due to Van Damme's interference in the creative process, director John Woo made adjustments; as a result, the boat chase became the finale for another of Woo's films, 'Face/Off' (1997).
John Woo didn't speak English very well, so the film crew and actors had to get used to it. When Woo couldn’t explain to cinematographer Russell Carpenter how he wanted a particular shot or frame to be filmed, he would resort to simple statements like “It’s like (director) Sam Peckinpah,” and Carpenter would instantly understand what was required.
The final action scene of the film was supposed to be a boat chase, but due to Van Damme's interference in the creative process, director John Woo made adjustments, and ultimately the boat chase became the finale for another of Woo’s films – “Face/Off” (1997).
John Woo's English was not very good, so the crew and the actors had to get used to it. When Woo struggled to explain to cinematographer Russell Carpenter exactly how he wanted a particular shot or frame to look, he would switch to simple statements like, 'It's like (director) Sam Peckinpah,' and Carpenter would instantly understand what was required.
Among the scenes present in the working version of the film was a love scene between Chance and Natasha (only a kissing scene remained in the final version). Also, the shootout scene at the abandoned factory (at the end of the film) was much longer.
Kurt Russell was considered for the lead role.
At the 59th minute, Chance Boudreaux rides toward a car while standing on a motorcycle. When the camera briefly cuts to the interior of the car, it can be seen that a stunt double is operating the motorcycle instead of Jean-Claude Van Damme. From this angle, it is also visible that the motorcycle is using additional supports near the rear wheel for greater stability.
At the 59th minute, Chance Boudreaux notices that his motorcycle’s fuel tank is punctured and fuel is leaking from the holes. Throughout the following scene, up to the head-on collision with the car, it is clearly visible that there are no bullet holes in the motorcycle’s tank.
Initially, the film received an "NC-17" rating from the MPAA for scenes of excessive violence. John Woo re-edited the film 7 times to obtain an "R" rating.
The surname of Pike Van Cleef is a tribute to actor Lee Van Cleef, known for playing cold and laconic villains.
Lance Henriksen's pistol is a Thompson Center Contender.
Kurt Russell was originally planned for the lead role, but his schedule was so packed that there would have been a two-year wait for an opening. For this reason, it was decided to give the role to Jean-Claude Van Damme, whom John Woo knew from their work on the action film 'Double Impact' (1991) in Hong Kong.
In one of the final scenes, already at the abandoned factory, the coat of the character played by Lance Henriksen catches fire due to an explosion, and special gel, applied to stunt performers to avoid burns, is clearly visible in his hair and on his neck.
The director's cut of the film is 117 minutes long.
The executives at Universal Pictures feared that director John Woo's limited proficiency in English would become a problem during filming, so Sam Raimi was kept close by just in case. Among other things, he was constantly on standby to replace Woo in the director's chair if necessary.