Hard Target (1993)
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The story
In New Orleans, a homeless United States Force Recon Marine and Vietnam War veteran named Douglas Binder becomes the target of a hunt where he must reach the other side of the city to win money and his life. His estranged daughter, Natasha, arrives in the city to search for him. After being attacked by muggers, she is saved by Chance Boudreaux, an out-of-work sailor and talented martial artist. Although initially hesitant, Chance agrees to act as her guide and bodyguard. They soon discover that Binder's death was orchestrated by a wealthy sportsman who arranges the hunting of homeless men as a form of recreational sport.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Douglas Binder, a homeless veteran, is hunted for sport in New Orleans and killed by crossbow bolts. His daughter, Natasha, arrives in the city and is saved from muggers by Chance Boudreaux, a former Marine and martial artist. Chance agrees to help her find her father, only to discover that Binder was killed by Emil Fouchon, a wealthy sportsman who hunts homeless men for sport. The search leads them to Randal Poe, a recruiter for Fouchon. After a series of violent encounters where several allies are killed, Chance and Natasha are ambushed by Fouchon's mercenaries. They escape to the bayou, where Chance seeks help from his uncle, Clarence Douvee. The group leads Fouchon's hunting party into a 'Mardi Gras graveyard' warehouse. In a final shootout, Chance kills most of the mercenaries and gunned down Van Cleaf. Fouchon takes Natasha hostage and stabs Douvee. Chance charges Fouchon, attacking him with a flurry of blows before dropping a grenade in Fouchon's pants, incinerating him. Douvee survives the stabbing as the arrow only punctured his whiskey flask.
- First release year
- 1993
- Runtime (minutes)
- 97
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Woo
- Writers
- Chuck Pfarrer · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jean-Claude Van Damme · Chance Boudreaux; Lance Henriksen · Emil Fouchon; Arnold Vosloo · Pik van Cleaf; Yancy Butler · Natasha Binder; Kasi Lemmons · Detective Maria "May" Mitchell; Willie C. Carpenter · Elijah Roper; Wilford Brimley · Uncle Clarence Douvee; Chuck Pfarrer · Douglas Binder
- Genres
- action; thriller; martial arts
- Themes
- survival; human hunting; revenge
- Tone and mood
- action-packed; stylized; violent
- Premise and plot tags
- martial arts; hunting; action thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- Based on the 1932 film adaptation of Richard Connell's 1924 short story "The Most Dangerous Game".
- Franchise connections
- Hard Target film series
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews on its initial release, praised for its action scenes but criticized for its story and acting. It was a financial success and has gained a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 63% · review count: 40; Metacritic · score: 63 · scale: 100 · review count: 22
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · Best Supporting Actor · win
- Production trivia
- It was the first major Hollywood studio production directed by an Asian filmmaker.; Universal Pictures sent Sam Raimi to oversee the production and stand in for John Woo if he failed.; The camera dollies used in the film were nicknamed 'the Woo-Woo Choo-Choo'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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