Making OF : HARD TARGET - John Woo USA 1st Film - Van Damme
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CLICK HERE :: Making OF : HARD TARGET (1993) John Woo’s USA 1st Film Jean-Claude Van DammeArnold VoslooLance Henriksen Douglas Forsythe Yancy ButlerMoshe Diamant (Executive Producer)Eugene Van Varenberg (Associate Producer)16+ Restricted_____________________________Released August 1993, “Hard Target” was a strong action picture engaging the high and genuine martial art skills of Van Damme to the unique directing brilliance of the Asian Hong Kong Director, John Woo.Van Damme was the actual 1979 European Professional Full Contact Kickboxing Champion who turned actor earning cult status in the 1988 “Bloodsport”. However, two years later, Van Damme was in danger of being dismissed by Hollywood as merely a good looking, skilled kickboxer. But, because of Van Damme’s relative youth (22 years younger than Chuck Norris, 14 years younger than Schwazenegger, and 10 years younger than Seagal) — he was tentatively selected to be an action-adventure star.John Woo’s reputation as an action specialist prompted both Hollywood and Van Damme to seek his talent to breathe new life into the tired action genre. Woo, born May 1946 in Guangzhou, China moved to Hong Kong which was soon to revert back to China’s control making Woo eager to come to America. Earlier, Woo had made experimental 16mm films at Hong Kong’s Matteo Ricci College and then became a 20-year veteran of Oriental action cinema making martial arts movies with kung fu superstar Jackie Chan. He had several epics to his credit; “A Better Tomorrow” (1986) was the biggest box-office success in Hong Kong movie history he also had directed “Hard Boiled” and the “Killer” with Chow Yun Fat.Van Damme, physically fit as ever, was eager to have Woo’s help to transform his images and flew to Hong Kong to further entice Woo to Hollywood. Van Damme recalls that both he and Woo had trouble at first conversing in English, but after sharing a few drinks were communicating as if by telepathy. In addition to Woo’s trademark of heavy “gunplay”, Woo could also use Van Damme’s kicks, jumps and flips”.Woo, in an interview said, “Van Damme wanted a change, he wanted to prove himself as an actor. … I thought I could do some magic — I know how to make an actor look great on the screen and look like a hero”.”Hard Target” is an updating of Richard Connell’s 1924 classic book loaded with action: “The Most Dangerous Game”/”The Hounds of Zaroff” with its theme of the hunter becoming the hunted. This is a theme also seen in “The Running Man” and “Dogboys”.Woo’s “Hard Target” is splendidly shot on location capturing the atmosphere of New Orleans both its glitter and stench. It is a dark action thriller blended with superb and incredible martial arts sequences, extensive shootouts and mind blowing real explosive powder requiring the crew to build special shields around the cameras. There is a credibility-challenging motor bike, a car and a train sequence where reality takes a back seat to feed the audience an adrenalin rush; Woo is a mater of violence focusing on pain and destruction in bone-crushing detail to turn violence into “art”. His movies are made for high entertainment bordering on the absurd but remotely possible. His films center on stylized action, with spaces of acting in between the high action. Woo believed great action cinema was made of dynamic, and kinetic camera work moving with the action, instead of against it, and often capturing events from below in slow motion.Van Damme is noted for his brilliant choreographic skill displaying his martial arts skills in a manner allowing the audience to enjoy the full beauty of karate moves. Likewise, Woo noted for his ballet-like choreographing of non-stop, over the top violence and bloodletting ever projected onto the screen of slow, lingering death scenes coupled with sickening sound effects.”Hard Target” is an allegorical statement about callous, rich men who hunt down and kill homeless veterans for sheer sport. It presents the blank-faced Van Damme in a daring, new light. The international super star, Van Damme, does a remarkably good job; many consider “Hard Target” to be one of his better movies which collected over $10-million in its first weekend opening in summer of 1993… Author: StudioLPS |
