Jean-Claude Van Damme Delivers In This Martial Arts Masterpiece Free On Streaming
One of Jean-Claude Van Damme's greatest high-octane films, Hard Target, is free to stream on Tubi.
Movies like John Wick 4 have been reminding modern audiences of just how cool it is to see characters kick ass, especially with former Matrix star Keanu Reeves at the center of that story. Fans who are hungry for similarly kickass content don’t have to look far to find something awesome. In fact, you can currently stream the Jean-Claude Van Damme martial arts 1993 masterpiece Hard Target for free on Tubi.
If you’re an action junkie, then you’re probably quite familiar with Jean-Claude Van Damme’s martial arts resume. But there is something especially appealing about Hard Target because it was directed by action movie legend John Woo. As his United States debut, this was how Woo was introduced to most of Hollywood, and it rightfully won audiences and critics over, one flying kick at a time.
Interestingly, Jean-Claude Van Damme was not John Woo’s first choice for this film. After he initially reviewed the script (which has a paper-thin plot about a homeless martial arts expert who teams up with a young woman trying to learn more about her estranged father), Woo wanted to hire Escape From New York actor Kurt Russell. Russell was busy and Van Damme got the part, and it didn’t take very long for him and the director to become fast friends.
A major part of the reason these two got along so well is that Jean-Claude Van Damme was the real deal when it came to martial arts action. Frankly, Van Damme could handle much more than Russell ever could, so Woo ended up increasing how much action he included in the film. In retrospect, it’s clear that both the director and his main star understood that nobody was coming to see a kung-fu action film for the plot.
If you’re a fan of the Big Easy, you’ll likely be thrilled to discover that Jean-Claude Van Damme and the rest of the actors filmed their scenes live on location in New Orleans. The film’s cinematographer Russell Carpenter made everything from establishing shots to action scenes look dazzling, and we always love returning to an older movie shot on film rather than shot digitally. And somewhere between the killer action and the beautiful visuals, this became a film that really won audiences over.
The movie ended up grossing a total of $74 million which was quite impressive considering that Hard Target had a budget of only $19.5 million. The movie also currently has a 60 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, which just edges it into the “fresh” category. The general critical consensus is that this Jean-Claude Van Damme movie is full of the silliness and explosions you’d expect from his movies, but that director John Woo made all of this ultraviolence look sweeping and stylish.
Despite being a modest hit with critics and audiences, John Woo thinks this film (his first United States movie) could have been better if he made it more like the traditional Hollywood action films that Jean-Claude Van Damme usually stars in. Given his prior experience, he filmed this like it was the kind of Hong Kong martial arts film that made stars like Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh famous. And while those kinds of movies have a greater Western fandom now, Woo contends that audiences in 1993 weren’t quite ready for the story he wanted to tell.
If you’re interested in that story, or maybe you’re just interested in watching Jean-Claude Van Damme kicking ass and taking names, we recommend you watch this film on Tubi. You just have to hit play, kick back, and enjoy the kung-fu. Of course, if you find yourself doing high kicks or trying to master the splits after the credits roll, don’t try to hold us to blame.
