Episode 197: Pik'n Away at "Hard Target" with CouchManBakes
Andrew "CouchManBakes" Tiede must have been sure that CatBusRuss was going to get his panel approved for Fan Expo New Orleans 2025. Why else would he have requested to cover perhaps the best narrative Jean-Claude Van Dammehad ever starred in, John Woo's "Hard Target"?
That is presumptuous statement, but would it not be great for "Ninety For Chill: The Podcast" to have provided a friendship for our host where a guest can be on the same wave length? CatBus obviously had posted a fan art image of this nineties gem on his Instagram when he was making a call out for guests. It is a surprise that it took so long for this show to cover this feature because it is essentially, "What if "Commando" had known assets to face off/support our uber hero".
We do not mean that as shots against the talents of William Duke, David Patrick Kelly, Bill Paxton, and Rae Dawn Chong, but Wilford Brimley Cajun accent is a lot more fun than Dan Hedaya's Central American. Sorry Vernon Wells, you were not a known commodity in 1985. Lance Henriksen was very mush that in 1993.
This is a charming take on "The Most Dangerous Game" set in New Orleans. At least Sam Raimi decided to give the rundown Detroit tropes a rest for this feature. It is a silly tale of a Louisianan merchant sailor from the Marines being hunted for sport, but it delivers great action and asks the question, how could we ignore "The Mummy" giving us a virtually mute Arnold Vosloo?
After this film, not letting him deliver English dialogue is awful. Surely Stephen Sommers did not want to hurt our feelings.