The Hard Way
Short description
Nick Lang is a Hollywood action star tired of his wholesome screen image. Hoping to be taken seriously as a tough detective, he arranges to shadow a real New York City police officer, John Moss, as preparation for an upcoming role. Moss, who is absorbed in hunting a serial killer, has no interest in babysitting a celebrity, but his captain is a fan of Nick's and forces the pairing. The two men could hardly be less alike, and Nick's constant questions and imitation of Moss quickly become an obstacle to the investigation.
The film was directed by John Badham, the ninth of the fifteen features he directed, following Bird on a Wire and preceding Point of No Return. Michael J. Fox plays Nick Lang, with James Woods as John Moss; Stephen Lang, Annabella Sciorra, John Capodice and Luis Guzmán appear in supporting roles. The screenplay is credited to Michael Kozoll, Lem Dobbs and Daniel Pyne, who also produced alongside Rob Cohen. Made for 24 million dollars, it took about 66 million dollars worldwide.
On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.4 from roughly 24,000 votes, and on TMDB a rating of 6.2 from around 500 votes. A critics' rating of 5.8 from 25 reviews places it slightly below the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- According to James Woods, it was difficult for him to film because his character had to constantly be angry with Michael J. Fox's character, with whom he maintained a friendly relationship in real life.
- The last film to feature the 75th anniversary version of the Universal Studios logo.
- At the 92-minute mark, in the scene where Nick Lang flips the car with the unexpected passenger, the safety ribs for the stunt performers are visible inside the vehicle. In the following scene, shot from inside the car, they are not present.
- Director of photography Robert Primes was fired mid-shoot by director John Badham and replaced by Donald McAlpine. Badham thought Primes was working too slowly. He had expressed similar complaints during the filming of their previous joint film, "Bird on a Wire" (1990).
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
