Word: woo
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...editors of "Hard Target" did a more thorough job than those of the other films, however. The film seems castrated compared to other John Woo fare. Woo's fans will likely walk away disappointed...
...bullets don't pour out at such cartoonish levels. Blood does not erupt from bodies in languid slow-motion shots--a John Woo specialty...
Plenty of the John Woo stamp remains despite restrictions, however. Woo's most recurrent touch is the arcing closeup. Tight shots on the face, directing attention to the eyes, do not hold still, but arc around the head. The meditative, emotional effect is powerful and highly unusual for an action film...
...little about "Hard Target" is usual. Casting pseudo-star Jean-Claude Van Damme must have sounded like a dream proposition--teaming the latest hot director with 1991's almost-a-hit actor. It seemed likely that the two draws, Woo and Van Damme, would cross-hype each other, pushing both firmly into the A-list...
There's a lot more to come from John Woo, but this is not the ideal preview one might have hoped...