phanthinga How often do you see Van Damme rocking a ridiculous mullet and sucker punch a rattlesnake then bites off it tail ?Chances are small cause he only does all that in Hard Target his best movie in my opinion and directed by John-woo a master of action cinema who bring his own style of action"gun-fu" to Hollywood for the first time ever.This movie is really awesome with all the bullet flying,fire blazing and Van Damme in his prime giving all his strengh to flip over anything that possible while also dual-wielding guns out of a horde of bad guys hunting homeless people for sport lead by Lance Henriksen.The final shoot-out at the abandoned werehouse is my favorite for how over the top it is with the violence and gun-fight

willhaskew John Woo's action direction helped lift this above the typical a B-martial arts film. Jean Claude Van Damme plays Chance Boudreaux, ex-Force Recon Marine and out of work sailor, is looking for a way to make the money he needs to pay his union dues. Natasha Binder (Yancy Butler) is an out of towner who comes to the Big Easy looking for father. Natasha makes the mistake of showing the cash she is carrying while looking for directions, leading to a local gang to try to violently rob her. Chance rescues her and she employs him as a bodyguard and guide for the search. It's not long before they run afoul of a crooked man-hunting game targeting homeless combat vets like Natasha's father operated by Emil Fuchon (Lance Henriksen) and Pik Van Cleef (Arnold Vosloo). Probably the best movie in Van Damme's filmography aside from Double Impact and Kickboxer.

snsenica A young middle class beauty is looking for her dear father who turns up dead on the docks of New Orleans. She , believably meets Van Damme without any sparks flying. It happens that a pathological mental case has been offering rich men the opportunity to kill some nobody on the streets in various countries. This is rich-guy stuff with most politicians and top lawmen bought and paid for.Van Damme takes on a gigantic gang. I gave up taking a body-count. Kill 5 or 6 of them and and they keep coming. The bad guy is really hateful and you will be happy to see that he does get whats coming to him eventually. Very entertaining and also instructive for marshal arts fans.

jcbutthead86 Hard Target is an excellent,explosive and underrated Action-Thriller that combines terrific direction,a great cast,fantastic Action and a fine score. All of those elements make Hard Target one of the better Action Films of the 1990s that is John Woo and Jean-Claude Van Damme at their best.Set in New Orleans,Louisana,Hard Target tells the story of Chance Doudreaux(Jean Claude Van Damme),who is asked by Natalie Binder(Yancy Butler)to track down her War Veteran Father who is homeless. While looking Chance and Natalie clash with wealthy man Emil Fouchon(Lance Henriksen)who hunts homeless people for sport. Now,it's up to Chance to take down Emil once and for all.Released in 1993,Hard Target is a terrific slam bang Action-Thriller that was a Box Office success for Jean Claude Van Damme and was John Woo's first Action film in America after making brilliant and unforgettable Action classics such as The Killer(1989),Hard Boiled(1992),A Better Tomorrow(1986)and A Better Tomorrow II(1987)in Hong Kong,China with actor Chow Yun Fat. And while Hard Target isn't as good as those films it's an outstanding and memorable movie and is one of the better Action films of the 1990s. For 97 wild and fast paced minutes Hard Target is pure,nonstop entertainment from start to finish and is a film I have always enjoyed and liked ever since I saw it on home video back in the mid-1990s and was the film that introduced me to Action master John Woo and is an Action movie that was made strictly for Action fans and John Woo fans because this movie has all of the trademarks you would see in Woo's Hong Kong films and his later movies such as Broken Arrow(1995)and Face/Off(1997):gun and hand to hand fights,explosions,use of slow motion and an over the top style that just works. Hard Target is the kind of Action movie that never stops to accomplish it's goal and that is to put viewers on the edge of your seat with excitement and thrills and Hard Target does it with a vengeance. It's a shame that John Woo and Jean Claude Van Damme never worked together again because together they seemed like a great fit for each others styles. The main character and hero Chance Boudreaux is a memorable character and an Action hero in the truest sense of the term and is the kind of character where his Actions speak louder than words while having a good mullet. Also,Chance uses his fighting skills and his wits to out do the bad guys who do the bad thing by underestimating and getting in trouble because of it. When Chance beats the bad guys and outsmarts them It's the kind of movie where the storyline isn't always strong and there isn't a lot of depth with the characters there is enough dialog and scenes with the main characters to keep the viewers interested. One of the main reasons to watch Hard Target is the Action scenes. The Action scenes in Hard Target is exciting,intense and is done in the classic John Woo style with attention to detail and where pretty much everything is big whether it's the gunfights(with one and at times two guns)or the explosions(with cars,buildings and at other times with motorcycles)everything in Hard Target is pushed to the limit and beyond like in Woo's Hong Kong films and while the scenery is changed from Hong Kong to New Orleans Woo's Action is still the same. What I also liked about Hard Target is the New Orleans locations which still looked beautiful despite the violence all around. The ending of Hard Target is amazing and filled with tons of Action and excitement that never stops and will have you cheering. A sensational ending.The cast is wonderful. Jean-Claude Van Damme is terrific as Chance,with Van Damme being charismatic and kicking butt at the same time. Lance Henriksen is wonderful and memorable as Emil Fouchon,with Henriksen stealing every scene he's in. Arnold Volsoo is fantastic as Pik,Emil's right hand man. Yancy Butler does a great job as Natasha,a woman who needs Chance's help. Wilford Brimley is outstanding as Uncle Dovee,Chance's Uncle. Kasi Lemmons is fine as May Mitchell,a cop. Willie C. Carpenter is sensational as Elijah,Chance's homeless friend. Chuck Pfarrer(who also wrote the screenplay)is good as Douglas Binder,Natasha's homeless Father.The direction by John Woo is outstanding and stylish,with Woo constantly moving the camera and showing close-ups,zooms and freeze frames while doing a great job with the Action scenes. Amazing direction,Woo.The score by Graeme Revell is fantastic,thrilling and matches the film's tone. Great score,Revell.In final word,if you love Jean Claude Van Damme,John Woo or Action Films,I highly suggest you see Hard Target,an excellent,underrated Action-Thriller that you can watch again and again. Highly Recommended. 10/10.