So yeah, maybe Hard Target doesn’t actually deserve the full five-star rating - but I’m an unabashed fan with a big nostalgic heart - so I’m keeping it. It’s been a favorite ever since that first viewing and I’ve watched it countless times since. It’s when Van Damme was at his best to see on the big screen before the ego and severe cocaine addiction took over. JCVD Still pumps out some fun movies, but nothing has come close to the excellence that is Hard Target. Now if they want to pair him up with Scott Adkins again and do a Hard Target 3 - I’d be all for that mayhem! Andrew Hernandez on So Close | Blu-ray (88 Films) I’ve learned over time that when a release has that red rating icon at the bo… The issue with the audio on the first pressing of the disc was the right and left channels were flipped. This wasn't always noticeable as so much of the mix is fairly front/center focused, but when there was some movement you could easily notice the problem. The motorcycle chase sequence is a key example: there's a shot where Chance and Nat are under an overpass riding from left to right with the guys pursuing in a car drives in left to right. The original mix had these elements flipped. So that's what you really need to listen for. An absolutely beautiful film grain sits over Hard Target, and with few exceptions, Kino’s encode handles the material flawlessly. Rarely does the imagery look anything less than filmic. The print shows some dust, minor as it is. Restoration takes care of most (keyword: most) scratches or other faults though.

Part of the fun of this movie is just how evil our villains are. Lance Henriksen is great in everything he does and his Fouchon is next-level diabolical - and hilarious. He’s a man who clearly loves what he does and takes that “work” seriously, but at the same time has the utmost contempt for his clients willfully killing them if and when necessary. When they need to start hunting Boudreaux, instead of just letting loose his lethal right-hand man Pik (the always awesome Arnold Vosloo), he instead gives select former clients the chance to pay him an exorbitant fee for the opportunity to kill the uber-mulleted Van Damme knowing full well most are likely to die. He's evil and also a bit of a grifter. Our hero and villain share very little screentime together but it’s a classic dynamic both actors play well. However, if you did get a set with the wrong disc, here is the link for the disc replacement program: The pure 4K scan pushes a constant flow of detail, the texture sublime, precise, and consistent. Close-ups match the wide shots in fidelity. Definition gives Hard Target new life on home video. It’s gorgeous, and looks new rather than a rescue from the ’90s. Almost thirty years on, and Hard Target remains a veritable action classic and one of the best movies of Jean-Claude Van Damme's career. The UHD disc comes with an informative commentary by action film historians Brandon Bently and Mike Leeder that contextualize the film within Woo and Jean-Claude Van Damme’s careers, while the accompanying Blu-ray contains short interviews with the cast and crew, including Woo, actors Lance Henriksen and Yancy Butler, and stunt coordinator Billy Burton. Overall

Scores

Every decent film - action or otherwise - needs a decent villain, with Lance Henriksen fondly recalling his work with Woo on Hard Target as some of the best of his career; and it shows, offered a choice part to sink his teeth into (with The Mummy's Arnold Vosloo as perfect support) and committing 100% to the growling frustration he has not only with his target, but with his own men, and to the very physical stuntwork required of him (actually being set on fire). The only extra on the UHD is an audio commentary featuring ‘action film historians' Brandon Bently and Mike Leeder. The start off by noting the similarities to The Most Dangerous Game as well as Cannon Film's Avenging Force, how they both came to know John Woo's cinema, the MPAA's issues with the film and its violence and the differences between the R-rated cut and the unrated cut included here, John Woo's earlier workprint cut that runs two hours plus, the film's score, the stunt work featured in the picture and, of course, plenty of details about Van Damme's career and work in this picture. They also cover the contributions of the other cast and crew members, the film's trailer, the reaction to the film when it came out and how it blended Hong Kong style 'heroic bloodshed' movies with more traditional American action films and quite a bit more. It's an interesting talk and one worth listening to.

Again, in case you get a copy with the wrong disc - follow the link to request your replacement disc:

Hard Target 4K Video

This is a great release—one that Hard Target fans have long been waiting for. Considering that it was simultaneously released on 4K UHD and Blu-ray, it’s not going to be topped unless someone can land the elusive rights to include the workprint, or better elements turn up for some of the excised violence.

Bright New Orleans scenery drives the contrast in full, generous and bold as sunlight drops onto the imagery. Peak brightness isn’t subtle, but also not overly exaggerated. Solid shadows do equally well on their end, giving Hard Target heavy dimensionality. A pleasing warmth brings flesh tones vibrancy, while primaries look just as saturated, with the same temperature push. This does look digital, if attractive, and suited to the coastal aesthetic. Audio Gaylord Picht on Hard Target | 4K UHD + Blu-ray (Kino Lorber) That's fantastic news! I'm thrilled to hear that the 116 min test screening v…Ska Martes on So Close | Blu-ray (88 Films) Instead of doing a star wars fan edit for 97456th time, someone could lend th… barring the audio issues, those without DV would have likely absolutely loved revisiting this action classic in 4K The upcoming release will include New interviews with John Woo, Lance Henriksen and Yancy Butler, as well as the Unrated Director’s Cut and U.S. Theatrical Cut of the film. Ska Martes on The Heroic Trio & Executioners | 4K UHD & Blu-ray (Criterion) Great movies and the kind of megastar casting that you just don't get anymore… On December 7, 2021, Kino Lorber Studio Classics will release a New 4K UHD + Blu-ray for John Woo and Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 1993 actioner Hard Target.