Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Hard Target might be the Belgian star’s finest moment. Not only does he rock a mullet to destroy all mullets, but he also knocks out a snake that dared to challenge him. In all seriousness, the pairing of Van Damme and director John Woo was a match made in action heaven, culminating in a ferocious film that still holds up to this day.
Famously, Hard Target was Woo’s first film in the U.S., after he had built up a reputation as one of the greatest directors in Hong Kong action cinema. He also revealed that he had a different star in mind for the project: Kurt Russell. “I really liked Kurt Russell,” Woo told The Hollywood Reporter. “He’s kind of my type of hero. Great energy, lovely smile, strong, and always makes audiences feel comfortable and happy. He felt more like a friend than a movie star.”
Woo didn’t get his first choice here, but he secured the services of Van Damme, who put in a showstopping performance as Chance Boudreaux and turned out to be one of the greatest action stars of his era. For Woo, he enjoyed the experience of working with JCVD, but there were a few oddities he observed about his leading man.
“I didn’t regret working with Van Damme,” Woo said. “I thought he was a quite interesting guy. The only thing I didn’t get used to was he was always talking business. Like making deals with other studios or other projects on the set while we were setting up a shot, and we were always waiting for him! He was always talking on his mobile phone, and everyone is waiting for him to finish the call.”
To be fair, Van Damme was a busy guy at the time. Nowhere to Run and Hard Target both came out in 1993, while his 1994 featured Timecop and Street Fighter. Also, how many projects did he decline or didn’t go anywhere? His phone must have been ringing nonstop in the early to mid ’90s!
Yet talking shop wasn’t the oddest thing that Woo experienced with Van Damme. The director remarked that JCVD was particular about his image to an obsessive degree. “The other thing is he was so concerned about his look,” Woo said. “I liked to set up four cameras, and he’d want one camera to [focus only on] his arm, muscled arm, you know! And I know everyone wants to look great onscreen – and that’s my job [as director] – but I never liked anybody to tell me how to set up a camera angle, especially a shot for their muscles! But I shot it anyway on set because we were on schedule that day. I shot it, but I never used it.”
Woo’s story isn’t the first time that anyone has mentioned Van Damme being concerned about how he looks in a movie. Several directors and filmmakers have mentioned that he’ll take timeouts to pump up his biceps to look good on camera.
According to Van Damme, Woo’s claims are not true. “No. I will tell you no,” he said to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hard Target is streaming free with ads on Tubi and YouTube, and available on Prime Video.
Hard Target |
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A woman hires a drifter as her guide through New Orleans in search of her missing father. In the process, they discover a deadly game of cat and mouse behind his disappearance. |
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| Studio: Universal Pictures |
| Running Time: 97 minutes |
| Release Date: August 20, 1993 |
| Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lance Henriksen, Yancy Butler, Wilford Brimley |
| Director: John Woo |
| Writers: Chuck Pfarrer |
| Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller |
| Box Office: $74.2 million |
