Jean-Claude Van Damme was my absolute favorite actor back when I was little. By actor, I mean my favorite protagonist because that's what we called them as kids in Nigeria.
He's the main character in Hard Target which was one of my dad's favorite and we watched it on VHS so many times, I could lip sync to some scenes. I saw this movie on TV last night and it brought back so many memories of movie time with my dad. Action movies created bonding moments that it didn't matter how often we had seen it. Our reactions were always priceless.
Well, while I basked in past memories last night, I couldn't help but be amused by how much I was in awe of this film. My partner kept laughing at most of the stunts and I could only smile because 7 years old me would jump and run around the house at those scenes.
Hard Target is a 1993 action film that has since morphed into the Hard Target franchise. It is reputably the first Hollywood film made by a Chinese director. Damme plays Chance Boudreaux, a seaman, and ex-marine who saves Natasha from thugs and then reluctantly joins her in search of her missing father.
It turns out Natasha's father was murdered in a human hunt game by Fouchon and Van Cleef. Van Cleef finds out Natasha and Chance are on their trail when he eavesdrops on a conversation between his recruiter Randal and Natasha. He then beats up Randal as punishment for recruiting a man with family ties.
The film continues in a long chase of both Natasha and Chance by Van Cleef, Fuchon, and his mercenaries with Chance fighting them off. Chance enlists the help of Uncle Douvee and they lead the hunting group to Mardi Gras graveyard. There, Chance and uncle Douvee kill off the men one by one. Van Cleef is also killed leaving Fuchon to battle it out with Chance.
My Thoughts
I can't get over Van Damme's blank face all through the movie. He really wasn't much of a great actor in Hard Target but his stunts were awesome. Some of it looks silly now but that was pretty cool for a movie made over two decades ago.
My best scene was when Van Damme knocked out a rattlesnake in a forest. That has to be the most ridiculous thing in the history of movies but it really got me hyped as a kid. It wasn't necessary and unintentionally funny especially with Van Damme's expressionless face.
It's so much fun to watch even when most of it was just outrageous, like an entire army of killers ferociously shoot at Van Damme but they're never able to kill him. It was a very thrilling chase and the villains are the coolest of their kind.
I liked the uncle Douvee character too and when I was younger I cried when he was stabbed with his arrow in the Mardi Gras scene. It's not comedy but I think everyone should see this for a good laugh and then spectacular action.
I'd rate this an 8/10 and would definitely recommend it.
