Blu-ray Review: Hard to Kill

Blu-ray Reviews, Reviews

Now, when you mention Steven Seagal, you have to snicker because of the sort of unaware self parody he’s become. But there was a point when he was new and fresh in the action genre, and not a joke who goes direct to video when not appearing in Brazilian MMA fighters corners, and arguably his peak was in Hard to Kill. It’s not a high peak by any stretch of the imagination but it’s a peak nonetheless.

It’s a fairly simple plot. Seagal is Mason Storm, a good cop about to blow the lid off a major corruption story. When he’s discovered to be ready to blow the whistle a crew of corrupt cops try to kill him and his family. With his wife dead, and son presumed to be, Storm is left in a coma but announced to be dead to the world. In a coma for many years, he’s tended to by a nurse (Kelly LeBrock) with a heart of gold. When he wakes up the corrupt cops out for him go to seal off that loose end; with the nurse tending to him, Storm has to get used to the world he’s woken up to as well as finish the case that left him nearly dead.

The film follows two plot threads; the first is of Storm in an extended training montage as he gets back into dirty cop killing shape. The other is him going out and exacting justice against said dirty cops in the only way he knows how: with his fists. There isn’t much to the film outside of waiting for Seagal to go and beat up a bunch of character actors; if you wanted to show someone the essence of Steven Seagal’s acting career this is pretty much nearly everything you need to know.

Seagal’s marginally athletic style of Aikido defeating dozens of people without him taking a scratch? Check.

Pithy dialogue that Seagal barely manages to spit out? Check.

Various references to Asian culture? Check.

Hard to Kill is a marginal action film at best but it’s enjoyable on a certain level. If you want to see what Seagal was like before his epic downfall, this is a good representation.

No extras are included with the Blu-ray but that’s understandable; it’s a Seagal film. It’s not like there’s a truckload of things we need to know about the film. If you haven’t picked it up by now it’s a solid pickup on Blu-ray, as the a/v has been upgraded. But unless you’re a Seagal completist the DVD version is the exact same version as this one.

Warner Bros. presents Hard to Kill. Directed by Bruce Malmuth. Starring Steven Seagal, Kelly LeBrock, William Sadler. Written by Steven McKay. Running time: 96 minutes. Rated R. Released: July 17, 2012. Available at Amazon.com.