Hard to Kill

This is no classic. Seagal plays a cop who after capturing a politician on film with some well known criminals becomes their target. He survives but his family do not. The rest you can guess. Having said its no classic, that is only by comparison to the very highest standards; as Seagal films go this is one of his best. He has ample opportunity to display his martial arts skills and it moves along with pace, and as its only just over an hour and a half long this means you won't be bored.

However the script is pretty average, and as with a lot of Seagal films it has a made for TV feel about it which does it no favours. I certainly wouldn't recommend purchasing as I don't believe it will hold up to repeated viewings. See it once and enjoy it for what it is and move on!

After Above the Law's Success it was more than obvious that Steven Seagal was going to return for another movie...And so he did, but not for one movie but for 2.In 1990 Seagal had 2 theatrical releases, Marked for Death and Hard To Kill. Both of which are some of his best work. Hard to Kill has the quality of good acting and great Aikido action scenes from Seagal's part, that is not present in his more recent films.

The story of Hard to Kill centers on Mason Storm, A cop that is secretly videotaping an individual (who will later become a Senator) telling the mafia that they can rely on his political support. Stating that the can take that to the bank. Storm who thinks he is safe and hasn't been spotted is later found by thugs at his house; they brutally murder his wife and nearly kill Storm as well. He is left in a coma for 7 years, after his wake it's obvious that he is after revenge and will expose the truth he videotaped. The movie manages to show Seagal slowly train and recuperate his strength to fight once more. The movie has more fights and more linear plot than "Above the Law". For me this is Seagal's best movie. Main reason because it is still on the realistic level and the character he plays is not as cocky as his future roles. And his acting is much superior to that of his future films. The movie also stars Kelly Le Brock, Seagal's now ex wife.

MY PERSONAL RATING: 5 OUT OF 5

Mason Storm (Seagal) is a dangerous LA homicide cop. So bad, in fact, an early movie exchange cements his lethality. Storm tauntingly drops to his knees in a grocery store, whispering, "Come and cut my heart out, come and cut my heart out!" to a knife-wielding criminal. It's funny because the criminal has clearly never even used a steak knife, much less attack another human being...who happens to be a black belt in aikido. That'll cost you one fully functional ankle and fibula, Mr. Unaware Criminal.

Anyway, Storm is investigating police and political corruption. One night he's spying on a corrupt deal where he gets audio and video evidence of a political assassination plan. Unfortunately, he can't keep his trap shut and blabs to a friend as corrupt policemen listen in.

Once the bad guys are aware of Storm's evidence, they send a hit-squad to his house. Completely unaware, Storm and his wife get gunned down in bed. Luckily, Storm's young son escapes through the window, and, Storm does not die. He's severely injured, but he's just left for dead in a coma.

Fast forward seven years...

Storm wakes up from his coma where a hot nurse (Kelly Lebrock) is attending to him. During a pointlessly unreal scene, Lebrock lifts the sheet to look at Storm's dormant package, and openly pines for him to awake from the coma. A guy waking from a coma to a beautiful nurse who wants to have sex with him? What is this, a porn flick?

In a matter of no time, Storm has regained his past superhuman dexterity and strength via some light work outs and self-administered smoking acupuncture needles...because this clearly takes care of SEVEN year's worth of muscle atrophy. And, sure enough, he and Lebrock start to fall for one another. From vegetable to fully healthy man forgetful of his dead wife, it's borderline comical how quickly he begins romance anew with his hot, private nurse.

During this brief healing period, Storm hears a campaign ad on tv from the corrupt Senator who was involved in his assassination attempt, and this is where the classic Seagal line is uttered, "I'm gonna take you to the bank Senator. To the blood bank!"

From there it's a confrontation with the crooked cops and politicians, where an ample amount of appendages are broken and dislocated, and Mason Storm triumphantly delivers pain before walking off during the credit roll with his new woman, his long lost son, and a plethora of bleeding bad guys in his wake.

Classic Seagal, great movie.

I like action movies, and Steven Seagal movies are a guilty pleasure. This, I think, is one of his better ones.

Cop Mason Storm (Steven Seagal) overhears something he shouldn't have, and the bad guys come after him, his wife, and his son. His wife dies, and Storm is in a coma, hidden away under an assumed name by the one trustworthy cop on the force.

Seven years later, he wakes up and asks his nurse (Kelly LeBrock) to get him out of the hospital--with a little extra convincing from the bad guys who start shooting up the place to get him, she complies.

They hide out while he recuperates and trains and regains his strength, then he goes after the bad guys.

Like most Steven Seagal movies, it's a little overdone, a little unbelievable, but it's fun. Seagal is the same character he always plays, and the dry, serious delivery of his lines always works for me. Unfortunately, Kelly LeBrock seemed to be trying to mimic him, and she just sounded wooden. Eh. She was probably eye candy for the male audience anyway. The little bit of romance was sweet, and the action was exciting and interspersed with humor. Best of all, the ending was very satisfying--you never need to worry about the bad guys not getting what's coming to them in a Steven Seagal movie.

Steven outdoes himself in this movie. The fact that his partner, female, is his wife is great. I think she is a little bit out of her element in this movie though. Her character is weak, but overall a great entertainment factor.