Wikipedia

User:FrostFairBlade/sandbox/Hard Target

< User:FrostFairBlade‎ | sandbox
  • During the production of Hard Boiled, Woo had started to field interest from Hollywood
    • This included Tom Jacobson, the executive vice-president of production at 20th Century Fox, who forwarded Woo several scripts[1]
    • Filmmaker Oliver Stone also inquired to see if Woo would like to direct a Warner Bros. kung fu film starring Phillip Rhee called Kato[1]
    • However, the project fell apart; according to Woo, executives considered him a neophyte director and did not give him "respectful pay"[1]
  • Woo felt constrained by the smaller film industry in Hong Kong, and wanted to expand his horizons in America[2]
  • A 1993 Variety article revealed that talent agent Christopher Godsick had gotten Woo to sign with William Morris Agency "several years back"[3]
  • In January 1993, there were reports that TriStar Pictures wanted to sign Woo to direct a vehicle for Sharon Stone called Pin Cushion[4][5]
  • Hard Target (1993)
    • Universal Studios producer James Jacks, screenwriter Chuck Pfarrer, and action star Jean-Claude Van Damme flew to Hong Kong and successfully convinced Woo to make a film for Universal starring Van Damme[1]
    • Screenwriter Chuck Pfarrer used the short story "The Most Dangerous Game" as inspiration when writing[6]
    • Woo wanted to turn Hard Target into a modernized Western film[7]
    • He struggled with adjusting to the Hollywood system; he was surprised that actors had so much authority[1][8]
    • The initial test screening was poorly received, forcing Woo to re-edit the film[9][10][11]
    • Woo had to send the film to the Motion Picture Association ratings board seven times before it received an R rating[12]
    • Emanuel Levy of Variety stated the film was "a compromised work", owing to the generic script, "disjointed storytelling" and "uneven performances", but still praised Woo's action set pieces[13]
    • Richard Harrington of The Washington Post panned Van Damme's acting and criticised how much worse the film was in comparison to Woo's Hong Kong oeuvre, calling it "a disappointing affair that can probably be traced to seven producers and Hollywood's traditional inability to accommodate auteurs."[14]
      • Harrington remarked that despite Woo's pedigree, it seemed the director had "run into a Hollywood system that wants to like him but refuses to trust him."
    • While Rolling Stone's Peter Travers shared similar criticisms to Levy and Harrington, he heavily enjoyed Woo's action set pieces, stating, "Hard Target proves that John Woo is the hottest name in action anywhere. Woo doesn’t just direct action—he abstracts it, poeticizes it, explodes its boundaries and breaks it into dazzling new forms."[15]
    • However, a review by the South China Morning Post dismissed the visuals as "a sad mish-mash of Sam Peckinpah-style slow-motion blood-letting [...], Sergio Leone-style moody macho posturing, and a music-video gloss."[16]

Plot

edit

Cast

edit

Production

edit

Conception

edit

Writing and development

edit

Casting

edit

Filming and post-production

edit

Music

edit

Design

edit

Release

edit

Context

edit

Box office

edit

Reception

edit

Critical response

edit

Accolades

edit

Post-release

edit

Home media

edit

Other media

edit

Thematic analysis

edit

Legacy

edit

Cultural influence

edit

Critical reassessment

edit

Sequels and spin-offs

edit

Notes

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e Keeley, Pete (2018-08-24). "'Hard Target' at 25: John Woo on Fighting for Respect in Hollywood". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  2. ^ Gee, Alison Dakota (1998-04-24). "Homesick in Hollywood". Asiaweek. CNN. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  3. ^ Klady, Leonard (1993-06-29). "Animal stars on comeback trail". Variety. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  4. ^ Eller, Claudia (1993-01-12). "Fox mulls playing 'Pat' hand; TriStar woos Woo". Variety. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  5. ^ "Sharon Stone in line for wooing of Woo line". South China Morning Post. 1993-01-17. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  6. ^ Leydon, Joe (1993-01-03). "New Gun in Town". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  7. ^ "John Woo: Cult favorite". Entertainment Weekly. 1993-08-27. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  8. ^ Staskiewicz, Keith (2009-11-17). "John Woo on John Woo: My hits — and misses". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  9. ^ Goldstein, Patrick (2002-06-25). "Some Foreign Directors Love Hollywood More From Afar". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  10. ^ Havis, Richard James (2023-06-18). "How filming Hard Target taught John Woo some hard lessons about Hollywood". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  11. ^ Harmetz, Aljean (1993-08-15). "Toning Down, John Woo Earns His Hollywood R". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  12. ^ Howe, Desson (1993-08-20). "Target: American". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  13. ^ Levy, Emanuel (1993-08-16). "Hard Target". Variety. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  14. ^ Harrington, Richard (1993-08-20). "'Hard Target'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  15. ^ Travers, Peter (1993-08-20). "Hard Target". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  16. ^ "Woo and Van Damme miss the target". South China Morning Post. 1993-11-14. Retrieved 2024-05-25.

Cited literature

edit

Further reading

edit
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:FrostFairBlade/sandbox/Hard_Target&oldid=1242128864"