The Hard Way is a 1991 action-comedy film starring Michael J. Fox and James Woods. It is directed by John Badham. The film also had notable performances by Stephen Lang, Annabella Sciorra, Luis Guzmán, LL Cool J, Delroy Lindo, Penny Marshall, and Bryant Gumbel, as himself. Also making early appearances were Christina Ricci, Mos Def, Kathy Najimy, Michael Badalucco, Mary Mara, and Lewis Black. It was the first film appearance in 14 years of Karen Gorney, since she starred in Badham's Saturday Night Fever in 1977. Around a decade later, Michael J. Fox and James Woods were paired up once more by Columbia Pictures as the voices of Stuart Little and Falcon in the 2002 film Stuart Little 2.
Plot
A serial killer known as the "Party Crasher" (Stephen Lang) telephones the police, notifying them that he is about to murder another individual at a night club, daring them to stop him. Police converge on the night club, but the officers, including NYPD cop John Moss (James Woods), are unable to stop the gunshot killing. 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 barks some obscene comments at media members and cameras.
Out in Hollywood, Nick Lang (Michael J. Fox) is a rich and spoiled movie star who is best known as "Smoking" Joe Gunn, the title character in a series of highly popular action films that seem to be Indiana Jones rip-offs. 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. Nick vows to "prepare" for the role by attempting to be an actual cop. After seeing Moss's outburst on TV, Nick pulls strings with NYC Mayor David Dinkins to be assigned as Moss's new partner on the force. Moss wants no part of the deal, but is forced to comply by his captain (Delroy Lindo), who just happens to be a huge Nick Lang fan. To make matters worse, babysitting Nick means that Moss will have to be removed from the Party Crasher case.
Moss defies orders by continuing the investigation anyway and repeatedly trying to ditch Nick, whose constant questions and other annoying habits (such as mimicking all Moss's movements) nearly drive Moss insane. Nick wants to know what it feels like to be a cop and is quickly thrust forward into some serious situations he is not prepared for, while Moss constantly reminds him that this is not a movie. Meanwhile, as Moss makes progress on finding the Party Crasher, he is also trying to juggle a new romance with Susan (Annabella Sciorra). The divorced Moss is unable to communicate with her or open up, and Nick offers advice to him on how to interact with women.
Moss takes Nick to a dark building to catch a perp, ordering him to stay put and giving the actor a real gun in case of an emergency. Nick, however, does not stay put and enters the building, shooting a man who he believes is a criminal chasing Moss. The man is just an innocent bystander, though, and Nick is horrified. Moss agrees to cover up the act, and urges Nick to leave town immediately. Nick returns from the airport to the police station to confess his sins, only to see that the "dead man" is actually a fellow cop, alive and well. Moss engineered the whole stunt to get Nick out of town.
Nick tracks Moss down to seek revenge but ends up stumbling on a confrontation between John and The Party Crasher (during which he saves Moss's life). The Party Crasher is wounded, but he kills several people and escapes. After John is told by Susan that his unstable life as a cop will never allow them to have a relationship, he is unwelcomely visited by Nick. Nick predicts that The Party Crasher will follow storytelling protocol and seek out Moss's loved ones in this, the third act of their story together. Nick is right, and Susan is abducted. Moss and Nick confront The Party Crasher on a rooftop and battle it out. Susan is saved after Moss kills The Party Crasher, but Nick is shot in the shoulder, while saving Moss again. The movie cuts forward in time, revealing that Nick survived, and already filmed Blood on the Asphalt. Moss, reunited with Susan, watches the movie in a theater and comments that all Nick's lines were originally his.
Outside references
The Simpsons episode "Homer and Apu (#5.13)" guest stars James Woods with the joke that he is working at the Kwik-E-Mart because he was researching a role - like Michael J. Fox's character (Nick Lang) was in this movie which James Woods had a part in but as the opposite role.
In this episode James Woods also lists this movie as his previous work when interviewed to be employed by the Kwik-E-Mart.
Main Cast
- Michael J. Fox ... Nick Lang/Ray Casanov
- James Woods ... Detective Lt. John Moss, NYPD
- Stephen Lang ... Party Crasher
- Annabella Sciorra ... Susan
- John Capodice ... Detective Grainy, NYPD
- Delroy Lindo ... Captain Brix, NYPD
- Luis Guzmán ... Detective Benny Pooley, NYPD
- LL Cool J ... Detective Billy, NYPD
- Mary Mara ... Detective China, NYPD
- Bruce Goldberg ... Taxi Cab Driver
- Penny Marshall ... Angie, Nick's agent
- Christina Ricci ... Bonnie, Susan's daughter
- George Kee Cheung ... Drug Dealer
- Lewis Black ... Obnoxious Banker that John faces off with in a bar
- Rand Foerster (co-founder of The West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar with Lewis Black) ... Obnoxious Banker
- Kathy Najimy ... Nick's Girl Friday
- Mos Def ... Dead Romeos Gang Member
- Bill Cobbs ... Raggedy Man who accosts Nick outside of the Dead Romeos' pad
- Leif Riddell ... Head mugger
- Johnny Sanchez ... Mugger
- Karen Lynn Gorney ... Woman in Subway
- Holly Kuespert (wife of director D.J. Caruso) ... Nick's co-star in "Smoking Gunn"
- Michael Badalucco ... Pizza Man
- Fracaswell Hyman (creator of The Famous Jett Jackson) ... Wino
- Bryant Gumbel ... Himself
- Jan Speck (model and wife of the film's director, John Badham) ... Frank, TV reporter
- David Sosna ... Billy the Frog Dog Vendor
External links
