The Hard Way (1991 film)

Cynical NYPD Lieutenant John Moss pursues a serial killer known as the "Party Crasher" through a local nightclub, but fails to prevent the murder of a local drug dealer. During an interview with the press, Moss vents his frustration at the camera during a live broadcast. In Los Angeles, entitled Hollywood movie star Nick Lang sees the interview and is impressed by Moss's aggression. A former child star and pop action hero, he desperately wants a serious role in an upcoming cop drama, Blood on the Asphalt, and he believes studying Moss up close will let him convey authenticity in his audition.

Lang uses his connections to become Moss's ride-along partner posing as an experienced detective. Moss's supervisors pull him off the Party Crasher case to watch over Lang in low-risk assignments, but he is furious at the diversion over leaving an important investigation. Lang annoys Moss with his naivete, and Moss gives him several angry lectures about the realities of police work, particularly living with terror and the consequences of mistakes. In spite of this, Lang notices that Moss is having difficulty dating Susan, a divorced single mother, and offers him advice. While initially dismissive, Lang surprises Moss during a date with Susan and her daughter, both impressing Susan and offering lots of praise for Moss.

Over the next several days, Moss tries to ditch Lang to pursue the Party Crasher, while Lang pushes the limits of acting like a cop. Moss reluctantly brings Nick along during a nighttime pursuit of a suspect through an abandoned building. Fearing for Lang's safety, he offers him a real firearm for self-defense. Believing that Moss is in danger, Lang enters the building accidentally shoots a bystander. Terrified, Lang accepts Moss's offer to cover up the incident and leave town. Overwhelmed with remorse, Lang attempts to turn himself in only to discover that the entire incident was a ruse; the bystander was an undercover cop and Moss arranged the events so that Lang would understand that panic, self-doubt, guilt and anger are all part of begin a "real" cop. Enraged, Lang punches Moss and arranges to leave town.

Lang later stumbles into a confrontation between Moss and The Party Crasher, during which he saves Moss's life. The Party Crasher is wounded, taken to an ambulance, but he kills several people and escapes. Nick briefly captures him, radioing their location before he is knocked out. Susan visits Moss, stating that being a cop will never allow them to have a stable relationship, so she breaks up with him.

Lang returns and tries to convince Moss that the Party Crasher will target Susan. Even though Moss is convinced that the Party Crasher will flee the jurisdiction, Nick argues that the killer is acting out a theatrical revenge plot as part of his bid for media attention. The Party Crasher abducts Susan, luring Moss and Lang into a confrontation on an advertising billboard featuring Nick's latest film and a brawl ensues. Lang saves Susan and Moss from being shot, but is himself shot in the chest. Moss pushes the Party Crasher off the roof. Trying to keep Lang from losing consciousness, he lectures him again about the dangers of being a cop.

However, months later, Moss and Susan have married and attend the premiere of The Good, the Badge and the Ugly. Lang survived his gunshot wound and leveraged the experience into a new drama. Moss is annoyed to discover that Lang's best lines in the film almost entirely formed from his lectures, and jokes that he should have received a writer's credit.

{{Cast listing|

• Michael J. Fox as Nick Lang
• James Woods as Lieutenant John Moss
• Stephen Lang as 'The Party Crasher'
• Annabella Sciorra as Susan
• John Capodice as Detective Grainy
• Delroy Lindo as Captain Brix
• Luis Guzmán as Detective Benny Pooley
• LL Cool J as Detective Billy
• Mary Mara as Detective China
• Conrad Roberts as Witherspoon
• Christina Ricci as Bonnie
• Penny Marshall as Angie
• George Cheung as Drug Dealer
• Michael Badalucco as Pizza Man
• Dante "Mos Def" Smith as one of the "Dead Romeos"
• William Truesdale as Witherspoon's Bodyguard
• Kathy Najimy as Nick's Girl Friday
• Bryant Gumbel as himself

}}

The project was first reported in early 1988, with Arthur Hiller attached to direct. In June of that year, it was announced that Hiller had been replaced by John Badham, who signed a multi-picture deal with Universal.{{cite web | url =https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/58897 | title =The Hard Way (1991) |author= | website =afi.com | publisher=American Film Institute | access-date =31 December 2022}} The original screenplay by Lem Dobbs was significantly reworked by Daniel Pyne, who also performed rewrites on Fox's next movie Doc Hollywood. Aspects of the characters were influenced by 1941's Sullivan's Travels.{{cite web | url =https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/03/movies/film-daniel-pyne-did-it-the-hard-way.html | title =Daniel Pyne Did It: 'The Hard Way' | last1 =Sharkey | first1 =Betsy | date =March 3, 1991 | website =The New York Times | access-date =31 December 2022}}

The film was originally set in Chicago, and was going to be the first production of a new outfit formed by Badham and his partner Rob Cohen, simply called The Badham/Cohen Group. However, Michael J. Fox's prior commitment to the Back to the Future sequels meant that this film had to be switched around with Bird on a Wire.

To prepare for his role, James Woods followed his quasi-homonym, NYPD lieutenant James Wood, on the job, wearing a bulletproof vest. Wood had previously been shadowed by Treat Williams and Robert De Niro in preparation of Prince of the City and Midnight Run, respectively. The latter recommended him for The Hard Way. Wood was also present during production, and requested a few changes for more realism, such as in the way a prisoner was able to escape custody.{{cite web | url =https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/08/movies/a-police-comedy-that-takes-realism-seriously.html | title =A Police Comedy That Takes Realism Seriously | last1 =Collins | first1 =Glenn | date =August 8, 1990 | work =The New York Times | access-date =31 December 2022}} As Pyne had already moved on to his next movie, Jeff Reno and Ron Osborn contributed the script's final rewrites, but were not officially credited.

Ted Danson and Jack Nicholson were approached to star in the film early on. A pairing of Kevin Kline and Gene Hackman was also considered. When Michael J. Fox signed on, he was the one who suggested James Woods to co-star.{{cite web | url =https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/james-woods-interview-videodrome-the-hard-way-hercules-and-more/ | title =James Woods interview: Videodrome, The Hard Way, Hercules and more | last1 =Brew | first1 =John | date =February 25, 2014 | website =denofgeek.com | access-date =31 December 2022}}{{cite AV media | people =Wygant, Bobbie (host) | title =Michael J. Fox "The Hard Way" | medium =television interview | publisher =NBC | date =1991 | url =http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc-jK7AatNc&t}} The film's police consultant, Lieutenant Wood, recommended some roles be recast with people of color to better reflect the ethnic makeup of New York City law enforcement. Among those was Billy, played by James "LL Cool J" Smith, who made his true acting debut in the film (he had briefly appeared as himself in Krush Groove and Wildcats).{{cite web | url =https://tvovermind.com/10-things-didnt-know-movie-wildcats/ | title =10 Things You Didn't Know about the Movie "Wildcats" | last1 =Foster | first1 =Tom | date =2018 | website =tvovermind.com | access-date =31 December 2022}} His participation originally came in a package deal with the use of his music, and was going to be a single-line cameo, before it was expanded by Badham and Cohen.{{cite web | url =https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-03-14-9101230479-story.html | title =From Street to Marquee | last1 =Britt | first1 =Bruce | date =March 14, 1991 | work =Chicago Tribune; Los Angeles Daily News | access-date =31 December 2022}} Smith had no particular expectation of a continued acting career at the time.{{cite web | url =https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ll-cool-j-heavyweight-203830/ | title =LL Cool J: Heavyweight | last1 =Light | first1 =Alan | date =October 3, 1991 | website =rollingstone.com | access-date =31 December 2022}}

The film was shot in the New York region, where it is mostly set, in thirteen weeks between late May and late August 1990. The cinema setpiece was staged at the historic Beacon Theatre on Broadway. Fox's Malibu house was in fact located in nearby Deal, New Jersey. Producer Rob Cohen served as a second unit director. Woods tore his rotator cuff when he fell off the truck during the filming of the chase seen at the beginning of the film.

The Hard Way opened in the United States on March 8, 1991, debuting at number 3 behind The Silence of the Lambs and New Jack City.{{cite news|title=Weekend Box Office: Rocky Start for 'New Jack City' |work= The Los Angeles Times|date=1991-03-12|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-03-12-ca-337-story.html|access-date=2011-01-11|first=Pat H.|last=Broeske}} The film ended its domestic run with a lackluster gross of $25.9 million.{{cite web | url =https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0102004/ | title =The Hard Way (1991) |author= | website =boxofficemojo.com | access-date =31 December 2022}} Woods blamed The Hard Way's tepid audience reception on recent events in the Gulf War, which he thought had made the market unfavorable to a buddy comedy.

According to Box Office Mojo, the film was more successful in international markets, taking in an additional $38,7 million, for a worldwide theatrical gross of $65.6 million (approximately $148 million when adjusted for inflation in 2023).

{{As of|2023|08}}, on Rotten Tomatoes, the film had a 75% approval rating from 24 critics, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The consensus said, "The Hard Way{{'}}s overly familiar formula is enlivened by a witty script and the excellent comedic chemistry between Michael J. Fox and James Woods."{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hard_way/ |title=The Hard Way |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango Media |access-date=2023-08-03}}

Vincent Canby of The New York Times said that it is "not a perfect comedy by any means, but it is a very entertaining one" and commended its "pure Hollywood" sensibility, writing that it is "sometimes slapdash in execution and sloppy in coherence, but it's written, directed and performed with a redeeming, self-mocking zest."{{cite news|last=Canby|first=Vincent|author-link=Vincent Canby|date=March 8, 1991|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D0CE7DB133EF93BA35750C0A967958260|title=The Hard Way - Review/Film; Playing Policeman in New York City|newspaper=The New York Times|location=New York|access-date=2012-07-27}}

Time Out called it a "light, bright comedy" that "counterbalances Hollywood convention with some very funny swipes at the film industry" and stated, "Badham handles the numerous action sequences with confidence, but the real enjoyment comes from the interplay between the two leads, who revel in the opportunity to send up their images."{{cite journal|url=http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/71741/the-hard-way.html|title=The Hard Way Review|journal=Time Out|publisher=Time Out|access-date=2012-07-27}}

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it three-and-a-half out of four stars and praised its "comic energy", calling the film "funny, fun, exciting, and [...] an example of professionals who know their crafts and enjoy doing them well."{{cite news|last=Ebert|first=Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|date=March 8, 1991|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19910308/REVIEWS/103080302/1023|title=The Hard Way|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|publisher=Adler & Shaykin|location=Chicago|access-date=2012-07-27}} Ebert said the stunts, special effects, and second unit work were "all seamless and exciting", and viewed that the actors elevate the film's plot with their performances:

{{blockquote|[T]he film makers crank up the energy until the movie takes on a life of its own. [...] There is a certain exhilarating, high-altitude buzz you get from actors who are working well at the limits of their ability. Faced with a plot that was potentially predictable, Woods and Fox seem to have agreed to crank up the voltage, to take the chance of playing every scene flat-out.}}

Ty Burr of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C rating and criticized it as having "coyly self-conscious high concept", writing that "takes the [action-buddy-cop genre] to such a numbing dead end." Burr panned its chase scenes and editing as "visual nonsense" and called its plot "all guns and gag lines", although he found Fox "secure enough to goof on his own image and inventive enough to do it well".{{cite magazine|last=Burr|first=Ty|author-link=Ty Burr|date=September 13, 1991|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20266647,00.html|title=The Hard Way Review|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|publisher=Time Inc.|issue=83|access-date=2012-07-27|archive-date=2013-05-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525193530/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20266647,00.html|url-status=dead}}

MCA/Universal Home Video released the film domestically on home video. The VHS' street date was September 12, 1991,{{cite web | url =https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/12/movies/home-video-815191.html | title =Home video | last1 =Nichols | first1 =Peter M. | date =September 12, 1991 | website =The New York Times | access-date =December 31, 2022}}{{cite news |last=Cornell |first=Christopher |date=September 12, 1991 |title=New on Video |newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer}} while the LaserDisc arrived one week later.{{cite web | url =https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/03620/41079/Hard-Way-The | title =Hard Way, The (1991) [41079] |author= | date = October 31, 2008 | work =The LaserDisc Database | access-date =31 December 2022}} The Hard Way was released on DVD on November 17, 1998, by Universal Home Video.{{cite web | url =https://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/2477/The-Hard-Way-(1991).html | title =The Hard Way (1991) |author= | website =dvdsreleasedates.com | access-date =31 December 2022}} Kino Lorber issued the film on Blu-ray in the U.S. on October 6, 2020. That edition featured a new audio commentary from Badham and Cohen. However, Universal had previously given the film a first-party Blu-ray release in the U.K. on October 5, 2015.{{cite web | url =https://www.blu-ray.com/The-Hard-Way/150358/#Releases | title =The Hard Way (1991) |author= | website =Blu-ray.com | access-date =31 December 2022}}

NBC promoted the film's world television premiere as part of the November 1992 sweeps.{{cite AV media | title =The Hard Way Television Premiere Trailer | medium =television trailer | publisher =NBC | date =1992 | url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bllxKB95g6c}}{{cite press release | last=McGuire | first=Paul (director of media relations, photography) |date=October 1, 1992 |title='The Hard Way' 'World Premiere Movie' – Sunday, November 8 (9–11 p.m. NYT) |location=Burbank |publisher=NBC}}{{cite magazine | last=Coe | first=Steve |date=November 2, 1992 |title=November Sweeps Are Set to Music |magazine=Broadcasting | agency=Nielsen Media Research | location=Washington |publisher=Cahners Business Information |volume=122 |issue=45 |page=45}} It was shown in primetime on Sunday, November 8, drawing an 11.4 rating and a 17 audience share.{{cite magazine |author= |date=November 16, 1992 |title=Broadcasting's Ratings Week Nov 2–8|magazine=Broadcasting | agency=Nielsen Media Research | location=Washington |publisher=Cahners Business Information |volume=122 |issue=47 |page=44}} Unusually for network TV, it was re-run by NBC the next Friday evening,{{cite magazine |last1=Dubner |first1=Stephen |date=November 16, 1992 |title=Television Highlights |magazine=New York Magazine |volume=25 |issue=45 |page=133}} drawing a 7.4 rating and a 13 share.{{cite magazine |author= |date=November 23, 1992 |title=Broadcasting's Ratings Week Nov 9–16|magazine=Broadcasting | agency=Nielsen Media Research | location=Washington |publisher=Cahners Business Information |volume=122 |issue=48 |page=27}}

The film score was composed and conducted by Arthur B. Rubinstein. It was released on LP, CD and cassette by Varèse Sarabande.{{cite web | url =https://www.discogs.com/release/4389376-Arthur-B-Rubinstein-The-Hard-Way-Music-From-The-Motion-Picture | title =Arthur B. Rubinstein – The Hard Way (Music From The Motion Picture) |author= | website =discogs.com | date =1990 | access-date =31 December 2022}}

The song Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J featured as diegetic music in the film, and later during the end credits. One version of the song's music video incorporates footage from The Hard Way, and was included on some disc-based editions of the film.{{cite AV media | people =Badham, John (director) | title =The Hard Way | medium =DVD | publisher =Universal Home Video | location =Studio City | date =1998 |id={{UPC|025192043420}}}}

{{Infobox album

| name = The Hard Way: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

| type = film

| artist = Arthur B. Rubinstein

| released = 1991

| genre = {{hlist|Orchestral, electronic}}

| length = 33:40

| label = Varèse Sarabande

| producer = Arthur B. Rubinstein

}}

{{track listing

| headline = Track listing

| title1 = The Big Apple Juice

| length1 = 1:54

| title2 = Cirque Du Parte Crasher

| length2 = 1:45

| title3 = Manhattan Tow Truck

| length3 = 2:46

| title4 = Ghetto A La Hollyweird

| length4 = 1:30

| title5 = He Dead / She Dead

| length5 = 1:29

| title6 = Big Girls Don't Cry{{efn|group=upper-alpha|Written by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe, performed by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.}}

| length6 = 2:23

| title7 = Where Have You Gone, L Ron?

| length7 = 3:06

| title8 = Transit Authority

| length8 = 2:12

| title9 = Gas Attack

| length9 = 2:08

| title10 = Killer Lang

| length10 = 1:48

| title11 = Smoking Gun II

| length11 = 3:29

| title12 = Top of the World

| length12 = 4:33

| title13 = The Good, The Badge And The Ugly

| length13 = 1:55

| title14 = Runaround Sue{{efn|group=upper-alpha|Written by Ernest Maresca and Dion DiMucci, performed by Dion DiMucci.}}

| length14 = 2:43

| total_length = 33:40
{{cite web | url =https://www.soundtrackcollector.com/title/5633/Hard+Way%2C+The| title =Hard Way, The (1991) |author= | website =soundtrackcollector.com | access-date =31 December 2022}}

}}

{{notelist-ua}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Wikiquote}}

• {{IMDb title|id=0102004|title=The Hard Way}}

{{John Badham}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hard Way}}

Category:1991 action comedy films

Category:1990s buddy comedy films

Category:1990s buddy cop films

Category:1990s police comedy films

Category:1991 films

Category:American action comedy films

Category:American buddy comedy films

Category:American buddy cop films

Category:American police detective films

Category:Fictional portrayals of the New York City Police Department

Category:Films about actors

Category:Films about filmmaking

Category:Films directed by John Badham

Category:Films scored by Arthur B. Rubinstein

Category:Films set in New York City

Category:Films shot in New York City

Category:Films with screenplays by Lem Dobbs

Category:Universal Pictures films

Category:Films set in a movie theatre

Category:1990s English-language films

Category:1990s American films

Category:English-language crime comedy films

Category:English-language action comedy films

Category:English-language thriller films

Category:English-language buddy comedy films