Lettich infuses the proceedings with a refreshingly simple sense of style that's devoid of the overblown pyrotechnics most films of this ilk seem to possess, including a significant number of Van Damme's recent efforts (ie Second in Command, In Hell, etc). Screenwriters Lettich and George Saunders also serve up a variety of needless subplots - including Philippe's tentative relationship with Wayne's sister - that serve no purpose other than to pad out of the film's egregiously overlong running time (110 minutes!)Īlthough Van Damme hardly does any hand-to-hand fighting in The Hard Corps, there's simply no denying that the film feels like a return to form for the Muscles from Brussels. Van Damme stars as Philippe Sauvage, a shell-shocked war veteran who is hired to protect former boxer Wayne Barclay (Raz Adoti) after the ruthless gangster that he helped put away is released from prison. The Hard Corps reunites Van Damme with his Double Impact director Sheldon Lettich, and the film almost immediately establishes itself as a surprisingly accomplished and flat-out entertaining contemporary effort from the fading action star. The two have made their fair share of straight-to-video junk over the years, but it's clear that Van Damme is at least trying to do good work (Seagal, on the other hand, has evidently given up completely and now insists upon a stunt double for most of his fight scenes). Generally speaking, Jean-Claude Van Damme has proven to be far more adept at choosing projects than his '80s action counterpart Steven Seagal.
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