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The Hard Way

Play trailer Poster for The Hard Way R 1991 1h 51m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 24 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Seeking to raise his credibility as an actor and to land a role as a tough cop on a new show, Hollywood action star Nick Lang (Michael J. Fox) works a deal with New York City Police Capt. Brix (Delroy Lindo), who by chance is one of his fans. Nick will be paired with detective Lt. John Moss (James Woods) and learn how to act like a real cop. But when Nick drives John crazy with questions and imitating him, he gets in the way of John's pursuit of a serial killer (Stephen Lang).
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The Hard Way

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Critics Consensus

The Hard Way's overly familiar formula is enlivened by a witty script and the excellent comedic chemistry between Michael J. Fox and James Woods.

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Critics Reviews

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Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: D+ Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times There is nothing very remarkable about The Hard Way, except for its comic energy, but the energy of this movie is everything, reminding me of the wisecracking, hard-boiled screwball comedies of the 1940s. Rated: 3.5/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Entertainment Weekly Rated: D+ Jun 1, 1991 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) Even with all its disparate effects, The Hard Way is entertaining until the last half hour. [Full review in Spanish] Aug 3, 2023 Full Review Joanna Langfield Video Review I always enjoy watching Fox and Woods, who can be counted upon for at least a few entertainingly quirky moments. Pairing them makes for a scrappy match. Too bad the vehicle isn't quite as intriguing as the casting. Rated: 2/4 Aug 8, 2022 Full Review Ed Travis Cinapse Everyone in the formidable cast of The Hard Way seems to have gotten the memo that this was to be a "good time at the movies". Oct 9, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (305) audience reviews
Bahad j There is no way not to praise each other's actors in this film. Really great acting. Of course, the main character was the best. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/06/24 Full Review Geke g Rest in peace for my liver Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/05/24 Full Review Munkhchimeg T Hilarious movie. Laughed out loud. Almost cried 😂😂 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/05/24 Full Review Michael S This film is exactly how you would spend a boring day at home. Incredibly entertaining & very funny. Michael J. Fox and James Woods are great together. Very cool movie. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/01/24 Full Review John A Michael J. Fox and James Woods are one of the least popular duos stemming from the myriad of films using the buddy cop trope yet something about the two really clicks in this spiced up comedic crime flick that obviously relies on tired cliches. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/18/24 Full Review Ian M This movie has such a good script for a pretty normal story that was done at least 100 times in other movies of the 90s. Michael J Fox is the greatest part of the movie and James Woods owns his hard ass persona. I absolutely recommend this to someone that hasn't been bogged down by buddy cop movies. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/27/21 Full Review Read all reviews
The Hard Way

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Seeking to raise his credibility as an actor and to land a role as a tough cop on a new show, Hollywood action star Nick Lang (Michael J. Fox) works a deal with New York City Police Capt. Brix (Delroy Lindo), who by chance is one of his fans. Nick will be paired with detective Lt. John Moss (James Woods) and learn how to act like a real cop. But when Nick drives John crazy with questions and imitating him, he gets in the way of John's pursuit of a serial killer (Stephen Lang).
Director
John Badham
Producer
William Sackheim, Rob Cohen
Screenwriter
Daniel Pyne, Lem Dobbs
Production Co
Universal Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$24.5M
Runtime
1h 51m
Sound Mix
Surround
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