Hard Target - Possible the 'slowest' film ever made (sort of)

I didn’t notice this back in the nineties, but Jean Claude Van Damme’s action B-movie ‘Hard Target’ is possibly the ‘slowest’ film ever made.  It’s an action epic, filled with kicking, punching, gunplay and motorcycle chases.  So… how can it possible be ‘slow?’ Actually, it’s not – it’s pretty fast-moving.  However, everything from ‘pertinent punches’ to Mr JCVD flicking his awesome mullet haircut back over his shoulder is filmed in slow motion, for added… emphasis, I guess.  It’s directed by (veteran action director) John Woo who can turn out excellent high-octane movies time after time.  It’s just he must have been going through his ‘slow-mo’ period here, as, even by his standards, there is a lot on display – seriously, once you look for it you’ll never see anything else!

Anyway, my minor sneery gripe aside, ‘Hard Target’ is actually pretty good fun – if you’re in the mood for a film like this.  The ‘Muscles from Brussels’ plays a drifter in one of America’s southern states who inadvertently gets caught up in a plot where rich businessmen pay Lance Henriksen to hunt and kill such people (who don’t have enough family to be missed by anyone).  Talking of Mr Henriksen, he’s actually quite fun to watch as the evil baddie here.  Sure, he overacts here and there, but he does make a loud, entertaining opposite to Jean Claude’s calm, sombre hero.  Plus, if you like your action ‘R-rated’ then there’s probably more gore and violence than you’d get in one of today’s action offerings and the motorbike chase I already mentioned is very enjoyable on a ‘carnage level.’

There’s not an awful lot more to say about this film – it’s a simple premise which doesn’t take much explaining and, if you’re in the mood for something where you can simply put your brain on hold and enjoy mindless, over-the-top action, then this will certainly entertain you for an hour and a half.  Sure, it’s got plenty of negative points if you’re looking to be really picky.  Ignoring the overused slow motion, there’s also a totally generic love interest for JCVD, no real character development and the typical waves of generic henchmen who are easily despatched by out hero, but, if you like your action B-movies, do you really care?

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that