richspenc I tried a frog dog once. It wasn't from a place that sold them as such though, I bought the hot dog and fries separately and then mixed them and added the ketchup and mustard just like Moss did. OK, but messy. The scene where they're eating the frog dogs (with little frog croaking sounds being heard) must've taken numerous takes for them to have gotten it right without making the biggest mess. When I ate mine, it took me 17 takes to get it right, just kidding (those who seen the movie got that). I actually didn't care too much for Nick Lang (Michael J Fox) at the start of the film with him acting so bratty and spoiled at his Hollywood mansion to where it was hard to watch him. He then makes a quick transition to little suck up when he latches himself on to Moss (James Woods) at the New York police station. Part of me understands Moss' annoyance. I like the scene with Moss protesting his having to be with Lang ("not if you tied my tongue to your tailpipe and drove me 80 miles an hour naked across a field of broken glass!!"). And for some reason Moss' boss thinks Lang is the greatest (it almost looked like for a moment Moss' boss was gonna side with Moss with the "cheese ball" comment, but then quickly jumped back to loving Lang). I like when Moss sarcastically says "yes sir!" when he sees that his boss is going as far as to wearing a Nick Lang t shirt. The party crasher is a nice touch for the killer that Moss is after, a villain who does his killings at nightclubs and who likes challenges so much that he'll invite the police first to watch his next killing, and then he'll still end up getting away. Moss doesn't want to be taken off the party crasher case, especially to deal with an annoying a** kisser who is practically in love with him. I like the scene where Moss is crying to a (possible accomplice to the crasher) gun dealer about how he wants to get rid of Lang, and I liked the smart*** comments he made to the dealer's fat body guard ("you may wanna try skipping a meal sometimes, somewhere there's a small country going hungry"). I also liked the setup that Moss and his buddies from the station created in order to try to get rid of Lang (since Lang so badly wanted to know what it felt like to have killed an innocent bystander thought to have been a criminal, and then when Lang samples the feeling he quickly changed his mind about wanting it). Lang was just such a wannabe punk badass to where he was so ready to jump into crazy situations without even half reflecting what they really meant. All just to get a role in a movie that didn't have a g*****m roman numeral in the title. Just the way Lang looked at the whole thing like an exciting game (just look at the look on Lang's face the first time he pulls a badge out in front of some bad guys and says "NYPD", like a kid in a candy store). I liked the potential girlfriend of Moss (Annabelle Sciorra) who at one point actually believes Lang is a better cop than Moss (good thing she never saw his rubber gun. Lol). Also amusing is a scene in Moss' apartment when Lang, grossly against Moss' will, goes to stay with him (who initially says over the idea of Lang staying with him "maybe when my ***hole learns to chew gum"). Lang sees his billboard across the street, then is told by Moss "good, you'll be sleeping close to the one you love". The way Lang is so attached to and so fond of Moss, to where he tells him things like "I've counted, you have 17 different facial expressions" and "you're the greatest, you're a heavyweight, you're the "Yoda" among cops". I mean would you want someone you never previously met gluing themselves on to you and telling you those things? Even if they were doing it for a movie role? I still like some of Moss' lines, such as his comments to a reporter about the party crasher, "when his luck runs out, I'm gonna be on him like a bum on a bologna sandwich". And Moss'l to Lang "we live this job. It's something we are, not something we do. Whenever we pull someone over, we know we may have to kill someone, or be killed ourselves". Moss' lieutenant position on the force though never shows any signs of him ever doing any traffic duty and pulling anyone over. Still it was a good, interesting movie overall.

elshikh4 The action buddy movie was there since the 1970s. However since Lethal Weapon's effect, in 1987, it became red-hot till the end of the 1990s, with always 2 totally different guys; mostly cops, and a bloody conflict to stop a certain criminal.But with many cops around the era, the yearn for variation got loud. And movies had to use someone, or some thing, instead of a cop as a partner. Based on my sincere studying, that idea lived a climax in 1991.Look at the buddy in these buddy-cop movies from the same year : a dog (K-9), an addicted rugby player (The Last Boy Scout), a genius serial killer (The Silence of the Lambs), special effects' expert (F-X2), and a spoiled movie star (The Hard Way).Yes, (Michael J. Fox) is cute, (James Woods) is nice, and (Annabella Sciorra) is beautiful, but still the only thing to be watched is the action. The chemistry between the 2 leads didn't work well. Something tells me that they both were miscast; sure they looked small in their roles. Most of the comedy couldn't be memorable. The plot doesn't move interestingly in terms of exploiting the differences of the main 2 characters. So it's nothing but (John Badham)'s action. And he made some masterpieces indeed, with sizzling pace and sweaty image.Hence forget about the boring scene of trying to teach the cop something about the women in the bar, and concentrate on how the criminal bursts into a theater where the action goes riotously and enjoyably. One of its best merits is sneering at the movies as big flashy lies. But eventually it wins for it, as much as the lead learns to be a hero behind the screen and in front of it (the key scene of the theater). Ahh, something deep in a light movie. Bravo !For an action comedy, it's one clever action. While it changed the partner, one of the formula's 2 basics has been vanished !

missrljane The flimsy, barely-there plot of The Hard Way is about angry cop John Moss wanting to catch serial killer the Party Crasher but being unable to as he has been stuck with undercover actor Nick Lang, who is researching for a role. John and Nick irritate each other, John's fledgling relationship with Susan isn't working out and the Party Crasher, occasionally murdering people, hates John. That's the plot. There's no character development or detective work, two elements essential in buddy cop movies, and yet the film is heaving with clichés, which would work if handled in a tongue in cheek manner, after all the film does send up some cop drama clichés, but most are meant to be taken seriously.James Wood's performance as John Moss, angry, fast-talking and foul mouthed, does not come across as a real person, or a real detective as he doesn't do any police/detective work, just beats people up or threatens them, so he quickly becomes an irritating bore to watch. His mostly-off-screen relationship with new girlfriend Susan is also hard to believe. Neither seems to have any interest in the other's personality, and Susan gabbles and laughs nervously but doesn't appear to have anything else to her. Towards the end of the film she dumps John as it is too dangerous to date a cop, a fact she would surely have thought about sooner, she is then instantly proved correct when she is kidnapped by the villain, so why are John and Susan a couple at the end of the film? Set in a neon-filled, noisy, dirty, dark, overpopulated New York, The Hard Way is not enjoyable visually. Every scene in a public place is packed wall to wall with extras, with irritating cuts to street dancers in the middle of action sequences, and there are far too many supporting characters who at most get three scenes to have a line in, and all this gritty, dark, crowdedness makes a lot of the scenes hard to follow. The only visually interesting set is that of the giant Nick Lang billboard, Michael J Fox's enormous head, smoking a cigarette, which becomes involved in both the starting action sequence and the ending. This is advertising the film within the film, Smoking Gunn II, which amusingly spoofs action/adventure films. It is worrying that Smoking Gunn II looks a lot more enjoyable than The Hard Way. However, even this is overused and repetitive, as two action scenes at the end of the film, one following the other, parody Smoking Gunn II, one in a cinema and one on the billboard.It is difficult to understand, and unexplained, why the police have so much trouble catching the Party Crasher when they constantly witness him committing crimes, so it becomes tedious how many times he is caught/wounded/trapped but always magically escapes. This is also the worst performance of the film. What is Stephen Lang going for as the Party Crasher? He comes across as mentally disabled, his 'only kill bad people' crusade is never gone into and he is so underdeveloped that it makes no sense he is given scenes on his own.The Hard Way is a dull, clichéd cop thriller minus the thrills, held together entirely by Fox's amusing and energetic performance as actor Nick Lang. We have to wonder how similar Fox's own life at this time was to Lang's spoilt rich lifestyle.

Cinema_Fan There are buddy cop movies and there are cop buddy movies, then there is John Badham's 1991 The Hard Way. Angst ridden, angry and street wise New York City police Detective Lt. John Moss (James Woods) has forced upon him the ivory towered, naïve and utterly irritating Hollywood star Nick Lang (Michael J. Fox) to further Lang's research into the life of "how to live the cop's life" for his latest movie.With the added work from writers' Lem Dobbs (Dark City, 1998), Michael Kozoll (First Blood, 1982) and Daniel Pyne (Fracture, 2007) a writing chemistry that works well together, particularly in the hands of John Badham (WarGames, 1983 and Short Circuit, 1986). Bringing these two giants, Woods and Fox, to the silver screen together is by no means an easy task if they are to gel, and this is exactly what has been done. With a chemistry on screen that is a highly intoxicating, humorous, witty and action filled with highly explosive personalities, and what a script too; quick, sharp and fun. This is a fun movie with a capitol "F", seeing Woods and Fox play off each other is simply stunning, it really is a pity that there were no outtakes during the end credits here as we can very plainly see these fine actors enjoying the pleasure of their work.Parodying the parody, The Hard Way is an entertaining spoof movie of street cop reality and movie star elite that when mixed can deliver a hard and soft movie of serious principles set against the whims of entertainment. Along side James Woods and Michael J. Fox we see Luis Guzmán, Karen Lynn Gorney's cameo role, coming back after a fourteen-year hiatus since her last role as Stephanie in John Badham's epic Saturday Night Fever (1977) and a young and delightful Christina Ricci, playing only her second role in her career. Then saving the best till last, we have Stephen Lang as the chilling and narcissistic serial killer The Party Crasher; creepy, very creepy.It is the work of the two leading men that are indelible to this piece, James Woods playing the hyper anxious stress ball trying to capture New York's latest killer and in the mean time trying his best to keep his relationship with New York beauty Annabella Sciorra. However, it is the role of undercover actor playing undercover cop "Ray Casanov", Michael J. Fox here has more than excelled himself and has proved that he is more than capable to being able to use comedy and wit, very refreshing stuff indeed. With the backup of James Woods The Hard Way shows that an oddball pairing makes a surprisingly satisfying arrest.