The Hard Way

"There's only one way these two are going to get along..."

1991 1h 51m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🍅

76%

FRESH

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 506🍅76%Rotten Tomatoes★6.4IMDB · 23,336

ActionComedyCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Seeking to raise his credibility as an actor and to land a role as a tough cop on a new show, Hollywood action star Nick Lang works a deal with New York City Police Capt. Brix, who by chance is one of his fans. Nick will be paired with detective Lt. John Moss and learn how to act like a real cop. But when Nick drives John crazy with questions and imitating him, he gets in the way of John's pursuit of a serial killer.

“There's only one way these two are going to get along...”

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Cast

Michael J. Fox
Nick Lang
James Woods
John Moss
Stephen Lang
Party Crasher
Annabella Sciorra
Susan
John Capodice
Grainy
Luis Guzmán
Pooley
LL Cool J
Billy
Mary Mara
China

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Badham
Writers: Lem Dobbs, Michael Kozoll, Daniel Pyne
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

35 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Badham, shot by Robert Primes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Arthur B. Rubinstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tony Lombardo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Michael J. Fox and James Woods and Stephen Lang carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "There's only one way these two are going to get along...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0102004 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Badham directs. Robert Primes behind the camera. Arthur B. Rubinstein scores. Tony Lombardo cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

135 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by John Badham, shot by Robert Primes. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Arthur B. Rubinstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Tony Lombardo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Michael J. Fox and James Woods and Stephen Lang carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "There's only one way these two are going to get along...".
7IMDB entry: tt0102004 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 9 themes, including "dual identity", "undercover agent", "police", "identity".

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Primes
Original score: Arthur B. Rubinstein
Editing: Tony Lombardo
Production design: Philip Harrison
Costume design: Mary E. Vogt
Makeup / hair: Rick Provenzano
Stunt coordinator: Conrad E. Palmisano
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $24,000,000
Box office: $65,595,485
Return: 273% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Hard Way (1991)
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 23,336 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 nomination total

Also by

John Badham

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

TheJonathanSim2019-02-28
★ 4/10
What do you call an action comedy with no cool action and no funny comedy? The Hard Way.
John Chard2020-05-23
★ 6/10
Will you open up? I just want to know what it feels like to be inside your skin. The Hard Way is directed by John Badham and collectively written by Lem Dobbs, Michael Kozoll and Daniel Pyne. It stars James Woods, Michael J. Fox, Stephen Lang, Annabella Sciorra, Luis Guzman, LL Cool J and Delroy Lindo. Music is by Arthur B. Rubinstein and cinematography is by Don McAlpine and Robert Primes. An action movie star researching a role is allowed to tag along with a hardboiled New York City policeman, who is less than enamoured with his company as he looks to stop the serial killer known as "The Party Crasher". Given John Badham's CV, The Hard Way looked to be right up his street, his career containing solid if unspectacular buddy buddy action comedy pictures. This is just above average thanks to the Woods and Fox pairing and some nifty dialogue one liners. The concept of a Hollywood star tagging along with a grizzled real copper is smart, but the pic ends up over stuffed, even if the action and comedy - courtesy of some high energy set-pieces - rewards enough to stop tedium setting in. Lang's maniacal villain is over the top, though he seems to be enjoying himself, while such is the brisk pace for the most part, when it sags into its quieter periods it strains the patience - the blend uneasy. Yet the finale rewards on basic action terms, with suspense intact, to ultimately give us a just above average pic of its type. 6/10