Hard to Kill (1990)

As Good As It Gets

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

For the genre it's lively and ambitious and does a little more than simply string fight scenes together. It has some similarity to Commando in the way the action flows - villains are disposed of with great efficiency because there are so many to get through. The scenes in which Seagal and Le Brock strike up a friendship are appealing initially but when it transforms to love interest it feels false - rushed and convenient to the plot progression and no more. The film is very entertaining and wastes no time in satisfying the audience's bloodlust but uppermost in its appeal is the charisma of Seagal and his aikido movements to disarm his foes.

A lot of people will tell you, in their early days of being a S.S fan, Hard To Kill is a favorite. I too share that vote. A twenty one week runner in America, this hard solid action flick, that has it's own style is another example of the films our man of braun did that were good, where as now it's all fodder. The film is backed up by a decent enough story involving corrupt creepy cops, politicians, and a roll of tape that could put the mayor away for a long time. So the solution is easy, shoot down Seagal and family, and retrieve the tape, but also plant drugs on the deceased super cop, tainting his reputation as Mr clean cop. Only as the title refers, they didn't count on Seagal surviving, a heart as strong as an ox while having a soft one too, yet his will is stronger, determined to bring the baddies down and make them suffer. When learning Seagal is still alive, the baddies are right back on the hunt which makes for a thrilling ten minute scene, if preposterous in part, that has Seagal, hours shy of coming out of his seven year coma, getting away, aided by a sexy nurse (Le Brock) with a crush. HTK is a dynamite action showpiece, that is good quality, despite a lot of opposed views. It delivers on action, some hot women, and revenge too, but also it has a surprise revelation towards it's end. One line I loved as one of the baddies has his fingers snapped back, was Seagal saying mercilessly with absolute hatred "F you and die". The is one flick you're gonna love, when seeing those dirty looking cops become justly disposed of, at the hands of one honest cop's avengement. One hard hitting action adventure, you're gonna love, actual gore runs very low, save for one scene involving the slaying of Seagal's wife.

This was Seagal's second movie after his breakthrough debut „Nico : Above the law". Unfortunately , compared to the previous one this has got a rather thin story and lacks action. The beginning is quite good . We have some tension and some action there. It's one of those few movies when Seagal gets hurt , so the audience actually has a chance to care for him.The middle of the movie fails . I can suspend my disbelief that he was able to stay hidden for such long time , just for the sake of fun. But the fun never comes . The movie lacks heart . It this was a "Rocky" movie at least the training montage would be full of energy and inspirational. The love story is rather unbelievable , despite the fact that Kelly LeBrock ("Weird science") was Seagal's wife at that time . They were some kind of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie for one moment in time for the rest of the world. Also , it's irritating for audience that we have to sit and wait for Seagal to solve a rather obvious mystery. The movie tries to be emotional with the family and brotherhood theme that appears later in the movie , but as I said before it just doesn't work. It's kinda strange , because Bruce Malmuth has proved before that he can create exciting movie – "Nighthawks". Maybe it's not really his fault , but the screenplay ? Either way there is some action at the end of the movie , but it's hardly worth the wait."Hard to kill" is a rather weak and forgettable revenge movie . The good thing about it is the fact that Quentin Tarantino probably was inspired by this movie to make his "Kill Bill" movies. I give it 3/10.

Steven Seagal plays Mason Storm, a Los Angeles detective. We start by seeing him on the dock, spying on people. He demonstrates how hard he is by taking on a gang of armed cartoon hoodlums single handed in a shop and defeating them. We do not appear to be invited to think how ridiculous this is. He then goes home to his beautiful wife and perfect children, whom he prays with, before making love to his beautiful wife. Now we have a group of killers who break in and achieve their goal in regard to the beautiful wife, send Seagal into a 7-year coma but are completely given the slip by a six-year old child.The official version is that he is now dead, as that is safer for him (!). The patient is renamed John Doe so as not to draw attention. Seven years later, John Doe suddenly comes out of his coma, as you do. The first thing he sees is beautiful nurse Andy Stewart (Kelly Le Brock). He has grown a fake beard but has not lost any muscle tone. Impressive.LeBrock has a strange accent. I guess that is what comes from being the daughter of a French-Canadian father and an Irish mother, born in New York and raised in London. She is slightly better at acting than Seagal but that isn't saying much.Now the bad men have long memories and return to kill people in the hospital. Well everyone except Seagal and LeBrock, because, even fresh out of a seven-year coma, this pair are too smart for an armed professional killer.So now Seagal sets about his recovery in a beautiful house not acquired on a nurse's salary – she is housesitting. Acupuncture, new age mumbo jumbo set to an irritating soundtrack. I fast forwarded at this point, even through the inevitable Seagal-LeBrock love scene. Purlease… By the time the action starts (over an hour in but it felt longer) we are all too fed up to care. "I'm sorry but I think your contractor's doing a lousy job." He isn't the only one, love.There is no humour in this film, no understanding of how ridiculous it is. Unless you count the unintentional humour of "I'm gonna take you to the bank - the blood bank!" I expected the film to be average, and a bit of a product of its time. But it is far worse than that. It is a real turkey. I wondered if it had ever been nominated for anything. It hasn't, not even a Razzie. Hard to kill? Hard to watch.