The Hard Way | Rotten Tomatoes

The Hard Way

R

1991

1h 51m

Comedy

Drama

List

75%

Tomatometer

24 Reviews

53%

Audience Score

10,000+ Ratings

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 (Michael J. Fox) works a deal with New York City Police Capt. Brix (Delroy Lindo), who by chance is one of his fans. Nick will be paired with detective Lt. John Moss (James Woods) 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 (Stephen Lang).

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: D+

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

There is nothing very remarkable about The Hard Way, except for its comic energy, but the energy of this movie is everything, reminding me of the wisecracking, hard-boiled screwball comedies of the 1940s.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: D+

Jun 1, 1991

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Even with all its disparate effects, The Hard Way is entertaining until the last half hour. [Full review in Spanish]

Aug 3, 2023

Full Review

Joanna Langfield

Video Review

I always enjoy watching Fox and Woods, who can be counted upon for at least a few entertainingly quirky moments. Pairing them makes for a scrappy match. Too bad the vehicle isn't quite as intriguing as the casting.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 8, 2022

Full Review

Ed Travis

Cinapse

Everyone in the formidable cast of The Hard Way seems to have gotten the memo that this was to be a "good time at the movies".

Oct 9, 2020

Full Review

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Michael S

This film is exactly how you would spend a boring day at home. Incredibly entertaining & very funny. Michael J. Fox and James Woods are great together. Very cool movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/01/24

Full Review

John A

Michael J. Fox and James Woods are one of the least popular duos stemming from the myriad of films using the buddy cop trope yet something about the two really clicks in this spiced up comedic crime flick that obviously relies on tired cliches.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/18/24

Full Review

Ian M

This movie has such a good script for a pretty normal story that was done at least 100 times in other movies of the 90s. Michael J Fox is the greatest part of the movie and James Woods owns his hard ass persona. I absolutely recommend this to someone that hasn't been bogged down by buddy cop movies.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/27/21

Full Review

Audience Member

The Hard Way is a different kind of action buddy movie and both James Woods and Michael J. Fox are perfect role.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

alex i

Now this film had a few fresh ideas to add for the buddy cop formula. Michael J Fox and James Woods are great in there roles, but aside from a few jokes and one liners. It's no different than any other buddy col film you've seen. It's better than some but not as great as others.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A serial killer-vigilante known as the "Party Crasher" (Stephen Lang) telephones the police, notifying them that he is about to kill another person at a night club, daring them to stop him. Police converge on the night club, but the officers, including cynical NYPD Lieutenant John Moss (James Woods), are unable to stop the murder. The Party Crasher flees in the ensuing chaos, and Moss is thrown off a car while trying to stop the killer. While Moss has his injuries tended to, he makes obscene comments to the media. In Hollywood, Nick Lang (Michael J. Fox) is a pampered and capricious movie star who is best known as "Smoking" Joe Gunn, the Indiana Jones-like title character in a series of highly popular action films. In order to be taken more seriously as an actor, he is vying for the leading role in the heavy cop drama Blood on the Asphalt, which he believes will be a more realistic role. Nick vows to "prepare" for the role by attempting to act as an actual police officer with the rest of the NYPD. After seeing Moss's outburst on television, Nick pulls strings with New York City Mayor David Dinkins to be assigned as Moss's new partner. Moss wants no part of the deal, but is forced to comply by his captain, who is a Nick Lang fan. To make matters worse, looking after Nick means that Moss will have to be removed from the Party Crasher case... Rotten Tomatoes 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." 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." 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." 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." 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: I do like this John Badham action comedy. There´s great and funny interactions between James Woods and Michael J. Fox, they have great chemistry and they fit their roles perfectly. While Stephen Lang is equally great as the psychotic "Party Crasher" and the lovely Anna-Bella Sciorra is fine as well as Susan. I would say that James Woods and Michael J. Fox makes this film great. With other actors in their roles this film might not have been as good. "The Hard Way" was really nice to re-see. Trivia: Universal Studios originally wanted Kevin Kline and Gene Hackman to star. According to James Woods, his role in this film was one of his toughest because his character had to constantly be angry with Michael J. Fox's character, who he found very likeable in real life.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

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John Badham

Director

Michael J. Fox

Nick Lang

James Woods

Detective Lt. John Moss

Stephen Lang

Party Crasher

Annabella Sciorra

Susan

John Capodice

Detective Grainy

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Synopsis

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 (Michael J. Fox) works a deal with New York City Police Capt. Brix (Delroy Lindo), who by chance is one of his fans. Nick will be paired with detective Lt. John Moss (James Woods) 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 (Stephen Lang).

Director: John Badham
Screenwriter: Daniel Pyne, Lem Dobbs
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $24.5M
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Surround

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