August 18, 2009
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116 Minute Director's Cut!
When I say I've literally waited several long years for the opportunity to watch the unofficial "director's cut" of the 1993 John Woo/Jean-Claude Van Damme collaboration Hard Target, I'm not exaggerating. Now, thanks to the glory of the Internet and all its digital luster, this elusive bootleg is now in my grubby little hands. Was it worth the wait, you ask? For the most part, I'd say yes. The excised footage -- an outstanding combination of ridiculous, over-the-top violence and lots of needless exposition -- adds quite a bit of meat to the film's slender ribcage, giving fans of this highly underrated action extravaganza more trigger-happy foolishness to fiddle around with. The legendary "ear removal" scene, I'm happy to report, is complete and intact, though it does seem rather tame when compared to the atrocities you can readily witness in most PG-13 action films these days. The extra sequences involving Van Damme and Yancy Butler tend to drag down the action a bit, causing the last half of the picture to feel extremely bottom-heavy. The epic showdown inside the Mardi Gras warehouse is still the best part of the entire feature, despite the fact Lance Henriksen's gruesome demise has been altered somewhat from the version I'm familiar with. Comparitively, I'd say this is the stronger version of Woo's much-maligned American debut. Then again, my opinion may change once I've wrapped my head around the 127 minute "workprint" version. I wonder if my tiny mind can handle that much mullet?
Recipe For Success: Lots Of Interesting New Footage + Lots And Lots Of Bullets + Wilford Brimley And Van Damme's Musical Number
Grenade In Your Pants: Call me crazy, but the theatrical version of Henriksen's death is the one I enjoy the most.
Probably because I like to watch pants explode.
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