Review: Hard To Kill

[Craig Robertson]

Post your review of Hard To Kill here.

[METROdee]

Kelly LeBrock (Steve's real wife) was OK, but just so-so...

[Rodrigo]

Hard To Kill.... one of the best movies of Seagal, but, I did miss the "final fight" you know ??? like Hatcher and Screwface, or many others..
In fact, I think that they realised that Seagal needed a final fight in his movies, because, since then, the previous movie, Nico, also didn't have a great final fight... then the next movie, Hard to Kill, also didn't have a final fight.... but, since then, Marked for Death had and all the others... they learned.... hehehehehe

[MMCK2]

Seagal's second movie outing sees him play a cop who uncovers the shady goings on of a senator and a local crime boss, but is gunned down and left for dead along with his wife and child. He then spends seven years in a coma but makes a recovery aided by a nurse (Seagal's then wife) but finds the senator and his cohorts still after him.... Though Seagal reportedly hated this movie it is still a fine peace of revenge hokum with Seagal putting in a more human but still tough performance. The film has some good individual scenes like the foiling of an attempted liquour store hold up (culminating in Seagal twisting the ringleader's leg off!), the training scenes which remind you of "Rocky", the shootout at LeBrock's house and the chase through Chinatown. On the down side Le Brock is'nt much of an actress and villain Bill Sadler is not as effective here as he was in the same years "Die Hard 2". That aside its still a fun movie.

Overall *** out of ***** (Fun to watch)

[EvanB]

I finally got "Hard To Kill" on DVD. I've had to watch for years on VHS but it looks so much better in widescreen. I really think it's one of Steven's best movies. Not only are the action seens excellent and realistic but the story is very interesting and the acting is excellent. After Mason Storm my favorite character is his friend O'Malley. One of my favorite things about "Hard To Kill" is the funny lines that Steven says. I love it when he says "I'm gonna take you to the bank senator, to the blood bank." But I think the funniest scene in the whole movie is at the end when he's going to kill the bad guy Senator Vernon Trent. The way that Steven walks up the stairs while saying "Vernon. Oh Vernon. Where are you Vernon." is such perfect comedic timing. I think that Steven is one of the funniest actors out there. Just the way that he's stays so calm and composed during intense action sequences and the way he delivers one liners. Anyway's, my question is does anyone else think that Steven should do a comedy? I think that he would be great in one. Of course what would a Seagal movie be without some action so I think he should do a domestic style family comedy where he plays a cop or an ex-CIA guy. That way there could be some action at the end. For example: Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Kindergarten Cop", Sylvester Stallone in "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot" and Burt Reynolds in "Cop And A Half." I thought that they were wonderful movies even though some people gave them bad reviews. In "Hard To Kill" Steven shows that he's great at playing a father and I think if he did a family action-comedy it could introduce him to the younger kids of today. Well sorry about the long post, it's just something I'd been thinking about. Any thoughts?

[Lotussan]

Yes, Evan, Steven cracks those wise lines, he's kinds cynical sometimes,
I bet in real life too...If you liked that, you'll find more in each of his movies, he does that quite often, and yes, he does it very well, I always find it very amusing, although maybe I wouldn't if it were directed at me...I think The Glimmer man is one where he is devilishly clever that way...But in all his films there are some great lines like that...I think he is funny too...
I don't know if a complete comedy would be a good idea though, it might be too drastic...Of all the TV things and cameos he did, most all were humorous, he definately is very multi talented, no doubt...And I just adore his laugh soooo much, it's very charming, but you rarely see him smile or laugh...That's ok though, because most of the time I am the same way...I just got all his movies, except executive descision and my giant, I don't consider those his...Have you seen them all? You really must if you haven't...The wisecracks are brilliant imho...

[Jalu]

I love that scene at the grocery store where he fight on his knees....makes my own knees go weak....

[EvanB]

These are all the Seagal movies that I've seen:

Above The Law
Hard To Kill
Out For Justice
Marked For Death
Under Siege
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
Fire Down Bellow
The Glimmer Man
Exit Wounds
The Patriot
Executive Decision (I know he's not the main star but it's still one of my favorites)
Ticker (Steven's acting was great as always and the storyline was interesting but the poor production values, i.e. stock footage, brought the quality down.)
Out For A Kill
Belly Of The Beast
My Giant (I know, he just had a cameo)

I still haven't seen "On Deady Ground", "Half Past Dead", or "The Foreigner". Which is the best out of those three?

[Lotussan]

Hmmm...That's a toughie...
I like them all, but ODG cupcake scene is so funny, what he says is super wise, and then he kicks the guys butt
in the most brutal way to teach him a lesson...

And then in HPD, he's just charming, one my favorite parts is when he is talking to the warden, and he says, "make your move." so softly yet it's cynical, the whole scene is really...But his line is a deadly warning...

The Foreigner was so funny, he has one that is a total burn, when he and another guy are in the car, and Seagal gives another deadly warning, this time very specific, oh my, how brutal that one was, but it made me laugh sooooooooo hard!

You'll have to watch them all, so you can see what I mean, and so you can discuss them all with us...
Enjoy...
I do!

[J.Lucas]

Originally Posted by EvanB

I still haven't seen "On Deady Ground", "Half Past Dead", or "The Foreigner". Which is the best out of those three?

No doubt in my mind...On Deadly Ground...
it's Seagal's directorial debut and it's just a plain decent film to begin with compared to the others you mentioned..despite the reviews it was given at the time..action scenes alone are worth watching it.
John

[Disciple]

J Lucas is correct, out of that list, ODG is definitely the best choice purely based on fight scenes and maximum value for Sensei screen time.

[steve]

Yeah Hard to Kill is a great film but absolutely definitely no to Seagal doing a comedy it would just be a disaster like all of Arnie's a Sly's ventures into comedy. It's never a good idea to stray from doing what you do best.

[Tiggy]

On Deadly Ground is excellent, but, my all time favourite (so far) is, fire down Below, whenever i watch it I see something I had missed previously. I think it shows Stevens ability to do more rounded film work. Not sure I can see him doing a comedy but would love to see him do something on the lines of the Magnam (spelling?) series, I do think he would excel in that kind of role. Has anyone else noticed how his whole personality changes when he is acting with a child? He seems to glow with a warmth towards them, and his smiles towards them are wonderful.
Is Execitive Decision the one where he gets sucked out of the plane within the first 20 minutes or so? Am I correct in thinking he has made, to date, sixteen general release movies, plus two camio's

[KATHYPURDOM]

ODG is got to be the best. Steven is magnificent in that movie. Just like Lotusan said I to like the cupcake scene. When is enough, enough. Did I get that one right it has been a while since I have seen that movie.
Kathy

[Littledragon]

This is the film that popularized Seagal as an action star. This film is such a cult Seagal classic! The fight scenes are extraordinary. This is the Seagal film that categorized him as the tough martial artists with an attitude, with a poney tail. One of my favorite Seagal films of all time!

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.