The Hard Way [DVD] [1991]

Michael J. Fox plays box-office sensation Nick Lang, star of The Smoking Gunn movies; he has it all, but he wants more. He's tired of playing Indiana Jones clones and yearns for a more serious role - such as the part of tough cop Ray Casanov in an upcoming film. He wants it so badly that, after seeing a television interview with Detective Lt. John Moss (James Woods) of NYPD, he uses his star power clout to get himself riding shotgun with Moss for two weeks in order to prepare himself for the audition. Moss, as you might imagine, is none too happy about having to baby-sit a movie star he doesn't even like - especially since it takes him off a big case. The Party Crasher (Stephen Lang) has been killing indiscriminately, and the whole case has become personal for Moss. The guy calls in his crimes before he commits them, and he's been eyeball to eyeball with Moss, yet he keeps getting away. Moss is determined to get rid of his new partner "Ray Casanov" as soon as possible so that he can get back to the case he considers his own.

The new partners get into a number of situations, as you might expect, with Casanov always getting in the way or - worse yet - actually trying to play the part of a real cop. Moss can't even shake the guy away from work, as Lang tries to spend every moment studying the cop's life firsthand - including Moss' flailing relationship with his girlfriend Susan (Annabella Sciorra). It's easy to predict how everything will turn out in the end, yet the journey to that ending turns out to be surprisingly entertaining.

I'm not sure how successful this film was at the box office - heck, I don't even remember hearing about this film back in 1991. It's sort of a sleeper, though - the kind of film that appears to be too buried in clichés and predictability to really succeed, yet succeed it does. Maybe it's Woods' intense performance that never crosses the fine line between realism and farce, or Fox's energetic performance as the spoiled actor who really wants to learn the ropes from a cop he genuinely admires (no matter how badly Moss treats him). Whatever it is, The Hard Way is a surprisingly enjoyable romp of a film.

The film follows the on screen antics of a tough nosed cop (a well casted James Woods) and a pampered Hollywood star (a superb Michael J Fox). Fox has a new movie role to mould himself into and wouldn't you know it he wants to base his character on James Woods' cop. However, Woods is not that forthcoming in looking after his newly appointed partner and hilarious situations follow. In the meantime there is a maniac on the loose under the name of the "Party crasher" who is determined to spoil every party he goes to and is dead set on killing Woods.

That's the story then. Is it any good? Well, yes actually. Both the male leads play their parts well and are supported by sterling actors Delroy Lindo (a star struck captain), Annabella Sciorra (Woods' love interest) and a young Christina Ricci (Sciorra's protective daughter). Throw in Stephen Lang as the blonde haired psychopath and we have an very entertaining film with quick one liners and fast paced action.

This is one film for everyone's collection. Go out and buy it.