Hard Target
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Short description
A young woman named Natasha Binder travels to New Orleans to search for her missing father, a Vietnam veteran. She hires Chance Boudreaux, an out-of-work merchant sailor and former Marine, to help her. Their search leads them to a network of wealthy hunters who pay destitute men a large sum if they can survive being stalked through the city, a hunt in which her father became a victim. Chance and Natasha draw the hunters' attention, and the two are soon pursued themselves.
John Woo directed the film, his tenth of twenty-two features in chronological order, following Hard Boiled (1992) and preceding Broken Arrow (1996). Chuck Pfarrer wrote the screenplay, and Sean Daniel and James Jacks produced. Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as Chance, with Yancy Butler as Natasha, Lance Henriksen as Emil Fouchon, Arnold Vosloo as Pik van Cleef, Sven-Ole Thorsen and Wilford Brimley rounding out the main cast. The production involved 28 credited cast members and 157 credited crew.
Made for about 18 million dollars, the film took in roughly 74 million worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 6.2 out of 10 from about 61,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.5 out of 10 from 1,390 votes; the critics' rating of 5.7 out of 10 from 39 reviews sits slightly below both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- John Woo's first American film, and the first major Hollywood film directed by an Asian filmmaker.
- The surname of Pike Van Cleef is a tribute to actor Lee Van Cleef, known for playing cold and laconic villains.
- The rough cut of the film is 127 minutes long.
- The director's cut of the film is 117 minutes long.
- 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.
- Lance Henriksen's pistol is a Thompson Center Contender.
- Kurt Russell was considered for the lead role.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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).
- 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.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
