The Hard Way

The Hard Way (1991)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: John Badham

Starring: Michael J. Fox, James Woods, Stephen Lang, Annabella Sciorra, several other familiar faces

From: Universal

As typical, messageboard discussion led me to check out this buddy-cop action-comedy from John Badham. Badham’s movies were talked about, including this one. Furthermore, for years I heard about the OOT performance that Stephen Lang delivered as the villain. It’s variously been described as “cartoony”, “Daffy Duck” and “The Joker”--all apply, I believe. As long as you can separate the art from the artist and see a movie starring James Woods when he plays a loose cannon NYC cop and he’s a jerk…

You need to roll with the premise of Michael J. Fox as a frou-frou action star who no one takes seriously so to prepare for a shot at a serious police officer role that Mel Gibson (speaking of separating the art from the artist) also wants, he rides along w/ Woods while the latter is obsessed with Lang’s serial killer Party Crasher character. Old James also has relationship problems w/ new girl Annabella Sciorra. Despite knowing the name for years, I haven’t seen her in a whole lot; by happenstance I imagine that will change. Here, she did a nice job with the supporting role where she was also the mom of… Christina Ricci.

It’s a loud, typically profane movie where Woods is even angrier and irritable than on Tw… I mean than usual in a role. That said, those familiar with buddy-cop action-comedies should be used to such trappings. It gave me plenty of laughs, which was needed after an insane past several days in the world. The action also delivered, especially when it came to the glorious practical effects and big stunts that are still impressive by modern standards. Not much time is spent with the Party Crasher character until the final act; that can be argued but too much of an OOT character can be… well, too much.

The Hard Way is not the best genre example by any means. However, it’d be foolish to dismiss the movie as it gives you chuckles, thrills from the action beats, familiar faces (like Luis Guzman, Delroy Lindo and in his acting debut, LL Cool J) and the view of The Bad New York City of Old a few years before gentrification rolled in. I was glad to view something entertaining to make me forget about recent days, no matter how violent this became.

The fact that I could review Hillbilly Elegy now and it would actually be topical… actually, let me not do that. Besides it being generally regarded as Ron Howard’s worst film, it’s something where I’d have to get political due to the writer’s biased interpretation of the truth and I’d just be asking for trouble! Whether it be arguments in the comment section or worse… better not.