Hard To Kill Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Nico's back and this time he's even more harder to kill.
The star of Above the Law is back. Now...Steven Seagal is hard to kill.
In 1983, Senator Vernon Trent is running a high-profile re-election campaign. Los Angeles cop Mason Storm videotapes a meeting where Trent hires killers to kill his opponent so he won't lose the election. When Mason's cover is blown, he gets away temporarily, but when he calls in this information to his partner Kevin O'Malley, he is overheard by corrupt cops who work for Trent. On his way home, Mason stops at a liquor store to pick up some champagne to celebrate his undercover coup with his wife Felicia and his 5-year-old son Sonny. 5 thugs come into the store with guns and blow away the cashier, and Mason kills the thugs. At home, Mason tucks Sonny in, and Mason and Felicia open the champagne. The corrupt cops who overheard Storm's call to Kevin go to Storm's house and start firing their guns. Felicia is killed, and Sonny is missing and presumed dead. Mason himself, declared dead at the hospital, revives only to remain in a coma. Kevin enlists the help of a doctor to keep Mason's survival a secret until he can recuperate and give information on his assailants. 7 years later, in 1990, Kevin has been forced off the LAPD, with Trent and his men now running the show. Mason is in a coma center under the alias of "John Doe," and he's being cared for by nurse Andrea "Andy" Stewart. Mason wakes up from his 7 year coma, and takes some time to recover. After recovering, Mason is reunited with Sonny, who is now 12-years-old, and Mason plans his revenge on Trent.
| Steven Seagal | Mason Storm |
| Kelly LeBrock | Andy Stewart |
| William Sadler | Senator Vernon Trent |
| Frederick Coffin | Lt. Kevin O'Malley |
| Bonnie Burroughs | Felicia Storm |
| Andrew Bloch | Capt. Dan Hulland |
| Branscombe Richmond | Max Quentero |
| Charles Boswell | Jack Axel |
| Zachary Rosencrantz | Sonny Storm |
| Lou Beatty Jr. | Carl Becker |
| Nick DeMauro | Calabrese |
| Nick Corello | James Valero |
| Justin De Rosa | Mikey |
| Stanley Brock | Counterman |
| Evan James | Danny |
| Bruce Malmuth |
4.90 out of 10 (3409 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Hard to watch, the acting
posted on 03 Aug 2009Okay, first the good,,, there are great action scenes in this one. The whole revenge thing was also entertaining. The only bad/weak part of the flick was the acting and that was mostly due to Kelly. Gees, here's a nurse who just got a friend's house shot up by people trying to kill her and some post-comatose fugitive cop and without a single bit of stress-induced emotion she makes stupid one-line comments like she just got back from the hair dresser or something. She appeared to be making the statement, "This isn't a very serious movie so I won't give it much of an effort." This is what happens when you make the mistake of using disinterested actors. At least Seagal maintained his normal level of intensity. Well worth watching but not the woman. Correction, watch her,,, just don't listen to her.
You can take that to the bank!
posted on 10 Jul 2009This was the first Steven Segal film that I watched. My wife recommended it. Thanks, honey! It may very well be the best he has done, but that still doesn't get a "watch it" recommendation from me.Don't get me wrong, Steven Segal has a place in my film viewing. Whenever I want something on that doesn't require the use of many brain cells, then I like to watch him. He doesn't irritate me and he does provide that vicarious thrill of punching out all those irritating people that we come into contact with in our lives. You know, that boss you can't stand, or that snooty waiter, or the burned out civil servant you have to deal with.The best thing about Segal is the fact that I know that in all his movies, I never have to listen to bathroom jokes.
a guilty pleasure
posted on 14 Jun 2009I like action movies, and Steven Seagal movies are a guilty pleasure. This, I think, is one of his better ones.
Cop Mason Storm (Steven Seagal) overhears something he shouldn't have, and the bad guys come after him, his wife, and his son. His wife dies, and Storm is in a coma, hidden away under an assumed name by the one trustworthy cop on the force.
Seven years later, he wakes up and asks his nurse (Kelly LeBrock) to get him out of the hospital--with a little extra convincing from the bad guys who start shooting up the place to get him, she complies.
They hide out while he recuperates and trains and regains his strength, then he goes after the bad guys.
Like most Steven Seagal movies, it's a little overdone, a little unbelievable, but it's fun. Seagal is the same character he always plays, and the dry, serious delivery of his lines always works for me. Unfortunately, Kelly LeBrock seemed to be trying to mimic him, and she just sounded wooden. Eh. She was probably eye candy for the male audience anyway. The little bit of romance was sweet, and the action was exciting and interspersed with humor. Best of all, the ending was very satisfying--you never need to worry about the bad guys not getting what's coming to them in a Steven Seagal movie.
Rubbish but good!
posted on 08 Apr 2009I myself am not a Seagal fan because of his acting capabilities but because of the way he plays the same character in every film! As I told friends the basic plot of this film is that Seagal is 'killed' but then comes back and kills everyone who killed him!! Great action set pieces although Seagal never seems to take a hit. Seagal films are basically satirical even though they are supposed to be serious. I'd recommend it for a laugh as some of the script is funny stuff. eg. "F*** You and die motherf*****". Seagal classic and another nice character name too!
hard to keep from laughing...
posted on 19 Sep 2008Not since "Commando" has a more laugh inducing action film come along.
Don't get me wrong, you can sit through this thing without looking at your watch, but not always in a good way. The flick is not as outlandish as "Commando", but it gets up there. It all begins when Seagal captures a future senator on camera being naughty. Crooked cops overhear him talking to a cop buddy, gun that guy down, then head to Seagals. As he's feasting on his wife's chest, the bad dudes burst in and blow everyone away. Seagal isn't quite dead and comatizes for seven years. When he awakens word spreads and several incompetent henchman start after him, only to meet with demises. LeBrock resurfaces in films for the first time in awhile, and admiring the size of Seagal's wang, goes on the run with him. Luckily she's housesitting a huge estate where they can hide out and he can re-train himself. The death of his wife must've hit him hard as only a day later he's plugging LeBrock on a workout mat. Thus let the huge grins begin at this point in the film. Seagal with his "I'm gonna take you to the bank...the blood bank!" to a bad guy on a tv screen; after the estate is turned into Swiss cheese, LeBrock quipping "Ahh, I 'foe-got' to 'loke' the 'doe'!"; Seagal destroying a wall in his old home for a video camera and telling the owner she needs a better contractor; or even at the beginning of the film, unneccessarily twisting a baddie's foot till it breaks. Can you say "police brutality"? It all ends with a showdown at Mr. Evil's mansion, with lots of "Friday the 13th" style killings (I don't remember one guy being shot). Pool cues in the throat, necks broken, guns shoved in mouths.
Everything's tied up nice and neat with a cop assuring him "We've seen the tape. We know you were set-up", when in fact it's never shown how the audio and video--on seperate tapes no less--gets to the much mentioned late LA newsman Jerry Dunphy. This thing is also a huge exercise in narcissism, with Seagal's endless training scenes, replete with burning sticks shoved in his back while he meditates, the already mentioned length of his wang, and his narrow-eyed, whispering acting style. Even had the nuggets to go on Arsenio Hall a couple years after this and proclaim "I re-wrote 90% of 'Hard to Kill'. Never got credit for it. I do that with a lot of my films". As far as entertainment and action value, it's pretty much here, just don't expect a lot of realism. And you can take that to the bank!
worth watching from start to finish
posted on 27 Aug 2008saw this about 9 times on tv
loved it more and more every time
shocking powerful action movie
with small bits of humor
like when Mason Storm gets down on his knees to look like he's playing fair with the robbers in the store
and he still kicks their ass regardless even while on his knees
now that's funny and powerful. Lebrock is lusciously pretty and very talented. if you like Seagal see Marked for Death, Exit Wounds. and other great titles. I got this on dvd 2 days ago. it's worth the thrills, laughs and excitement every watch
see this movie
if you like Kelly Lebrock, then see Weird Science. good and interesting movie
Hard to kill, and even harder to sit through
posted on 11 Aug 2008Seeing as I loathe Seagal movies(despite this being the second Seagal film I've ever seen) it might be surprising that I actually saw this film. However, it was on TV, for free, I had nothing better to do(yeah, I know... hard to believe that there was nothing better to do... a blackout would have been more constructive, and most likely less painful), I decided to see it(with half an eye open, while doing other things, of course). It's the same old tale of revenge, with no real point to it, other than seeing Seagal wipe the floor with the various no-name faceless lackeys while dishing out the most ridiculous one-liners you've heard of(apart from the atrocities spewed in On Deadly Ground, of course). The plot is exactly the same thing we've seen in most other action films from the late 80's and early 90's. It drags and is thoroughly boring. The acting is horrendous for the most part. The characters are poorly written clichés. The action follows every major action cliché ever conceived. The fighting/action scenes are entertaining, but only slightly and isn't worth sitting through the rest of the film for. I can't help but wonder a few things; why does Seagal break wrists and arms every chance he gets in this(and several other of his films, if I'm not mistaken)? Why do the villains shoot at the wall above where the hero and heroine are hiding? Why yell out "my weapon is jammed" instead of just running for cover? All in all, the film has nothing new to offer, and very little to offer at all. Personal high/low point of this flick: when Seagal decided to play "hide and go seek" with the villain. That was a new low... well, almost, at least. I recommend this only to Seagal fans. Everyone else should avoid(don't mind the rating, I'm feeling generous... I might be getting soft). 5/10
One of (if not the best) Steven Seagal movie!
posted on 22 Apr 2008Hard To Kill is in my opinion one of(if not the best) of Steven Seagal's movies.It's the most entertaining of all of them, it has some great action scenes and the usual Seagal charm, the plot is simplistic but not bad by any means.It has some cheesy one liners yes, but plenty of older movies do.There is a big resemblance to the Quentin Tarintino movie "Kill Bill", man's wife gets murdered, man gets put in a coma, man gets out of coma, man tries to find his long lost son while exacting his revenge! Although in Hard To Kill, he gets nursed back to health by a nurse, who risks her life trying to help him. It has a good enough storyline as well as the usual Seagal action scenes. Hard To Kill is a fairly good Seagal movie and it's great for any fan of 80's/90's action films.
Hard to recommend
posted on 22 Apr 2008Oh boy, here we go again! Yes, it's nobody's favourite action hero Steven Seagal and wouldn't you know it, he's got another slice of lone-wolf pie for us all. But by now, this dish is tasting quite rancid. Even at the time, this wasn't cutting edge but now it's looks decidedly old-skool, linear beat-em-up nonsense from quite possibly the least charismatic star in Hollywood. Are you excited yet? Seagal plays the laughably-named Mason Storm, as born a beefcake as anyone you can imagine. After uncovering a shady deal going down between wannabe politician Vernon Trent (William "What Else Have You Been In?" Sadler) and a bunch of mobsters, Storm flees to spread the news but sadly for him, the mobsters pays his family a visit. Typically, they bodge the job - sure, Mason's wife (Bonnie Burroughs) gets killed but both Mason and his son survive, though Mason is put into a coma. Seven years later, Storm wakes up with a nasty amount of fake facial hair and a nymphomaniac nurse (Kelly LeBrock). After intensive training and a shave instead of simple physiotherapy (as is the norm for seven year coma victims who suddenly wake up), he's ready to bash the baddies in the only way Seagal knows. Dodging the knife blow/punch/kick/pool cue/cleaver/insert random weapon here and pushing them through a handy pane of glass. Honest! Seagal's greatest problem (apart from his voice that sounds like a heavy smoker whispering, a lack of any sort of acting ability, lame fight sequences, questionable morals and totally inept bad guys) is that he keeps remaking the same film year after year. This is no different to "The Glimmer Man" or "Nico" or the dreadful "Marked For Death". The only Seagal film with any redeeming features is the average "Under Siege" but even that is essentially the same story. Lone hero gets screwed by the baddies, lone hero loses family or close friend, lone hero kicks the crap out of anybody he doesn't like until the end credits roll. And so it is here. This film sets no new standards for Seagal and even fewer for movie-making in general. Actually, that's not true - there is an unintentionally hilarious line that made me laugh so much that I woke my flatmate up! Incidentally, put yourself in the position of the dodgy senator caught with the Mob. If you're recorded saying something memorable (and you know it too), would you then spend the next seven years of your public life making that your catchphrase? I don't think I would.There are so many things about this film that I don't like, from the quite insane names that characters are given (Mason Storm? Jack Axel? Is this another "Streets Of Rage" video game or something?) to the oh-so-simple story that demands nothing but contempt. Forget the plot holes large enough to park a Boeing 747 in and try to seek solace in Seagal's rubbish fight scenes if you can. Aside from LeBrock wearing tight dresses, there's not really much I can find to endorse. Performances are weak, as you'd expect. The action is dull and predictable, as you'd expect. The only thing that took me by surprise was watching Seagal attempt to kiss a woman which, for the poor actress, must feel like being slapped in the face with a piece of raw steak. If you've never seen a Seagal movie (and quite frankly, keep up the good work) then maybe, just maybe, you might enjoy this. Everyone else will prefer having teeth pulled out with no anaesthetic.
Goodish
posted on 04 Apr 2008This is my fourth favourite segal film, after the under sieges and exit wounds. This is way better than any of his other efforts, like out for justice or Nico, there is a fair amount of action and its easy on the eyes, very little plot and quite a lot of action, so its not a bad film
Awesome Seagal Flick!
posted on 14 Jan 2008This was an awesome Seagal flick, that's really entertaining!. It's somewhat powerful at times,with a lot of great action scenes, and some cool characters. Segal was awesome in this, although the movie has some unintentionally funny scenes, it's still has a lot of powerful moments, and the finale is excellent. William Sandler is very menacing as the main villain, and the story is formula tic, but very well done!. The Directing is very good. Bruce Malmuth, does a very good job here, with cool camera angles, great action scenes, keeping the film at a very fast pace, and overall doing a great job!. There is plenty of violence. We get LOTS of very bloody gunshot wounds, nasty bone breaking, and a pool cue jammed in someone's neck. The Acting is very good. Steven Seagal is awesome here, he kicks that ass, has lots of cool one liners , was very good in the acting department,had good chemistry with his former wife Kelly LeBrock, and looked pretty cool! (Seagal rules!).Kelly LeBrock, is beautiful, and does fine here, and had good chemistry with her former husband Steven Seagal. William Sadler, is excellent as the main villain, and was very menacing. Frederick Coffin, is also very good here, and was very likable. Zachary Rosencrantz, is okay as the son. Overall a must see! **** out of 5
Segal is a god.
posted on 11 Jan 2008This movie is absolutely HILARIOUS.If people even know who Steven Segal is, they should already know what they are getting into before they start playing this movie (meaning that it is FULL of plot holes, jumps in logic, continuity errors, outrageous stunts, etc).That having been said, this movie is so much fun to watch it more than makes up for its shortcomings. Watch this movie with a group of friends that enjoy laughing at unintentionally ridiculous action and I guarantee it will deliver in spades - I found it to be a lot funnier than most comedies.
Bone breaking good times
posted on 03 Dec 2007Wow, this movie is awesome. Seagal slowly twists some guys ankle around until it snaps, while yelling yeeeeeawww. I really like it when he breaks peoples arms. If you pay attention he is just bending their arm in the direction an arm normally bends, but you hear a loud snapping sound and the guy yells out in pain. I was surprised at how violent he was in his older movies. He chokes some guy to death in front of his kid, I was like "Way to go Seagal". This movie also had a great story line. I'm pretty sure the Kill Bill story line was borrowed from this movie. Lots of gun shooting and bone snapping martial arts. I could watch this movie over and over again. Seagal is "hard to kill". These dudes try to kill him and his family, but they only succeed in killing his wife. That makes him very angry and he goes out for revenge. Watch this movie.
Not hard to thrill...
posted on 07 Oct 2007Along with Marked For Death and Under Siege,Hard To Kill is probably one of Seagal's more accomplished action adventures. In it,he's brilliant LA detective Mason Storm (one of the most unforgettable names in cinematic history,in some respects.Now,the movie is quite entertaining,the dialogue is cleverly handled ,the action scenes are enjoyable and the story is coherently paced.But,when you've seen as many of his movies as I have,there's something about Seagal's Quasi-religious character's praying to God at one point ,then violently killing baddies the next that gets into your brain.In real life,the guy seems to be something of a recluse,too.I famously remember waking up one morning,expecting an interview with him on GMTV ,only to be replaced by a medical programme of some sort. I feel a bit bad about having to say this,but if you want a more easy going and non-desensitising all round martial arts good guy,I'd probably recommend Chuck Norris a bit more now.
Relentlessly predictable.
posted on 10 Sep 2007Some repellent violence and a relentlessly predictable plot: just what you expect from a typical Seagal vehicle. This guy can't make any revenge story work for me, since he always plays the "good" guy and he always appears more brutal and sadistic than the villains. The scene where he casually kills a guy and then his son shouts "Daddy!" and hugs him is really repellent.
He proved his point in this movie, YEAH!
posted on 04 Sep 2007This is one of Steven Seagal's best action films. "Hard to Kill" was a hard-hitting, nonstop, action-packed film that really packed a punch! Imagine being out cold for years, but can't forget the dreadful night you have. Knowing that it's hard to move on until you fulfill your mission: REVENGE! All the bone breaking, limb dislocating, nerve numbing action in this movie, Steven Seagal is a one man army again the odds that barricaded him. And Seagal's character really makes his point. That scheming senator had it coming! This movie also proves you never lose your touch even after "death". Death, lies, or conspiracy never kept Storm down, he was indeed HARD TO KILL!! Rating 3 out of 5 stars!
Coma cops misses Oscars.
posted on 27 Jun 2007A police officer staking out drug-lords, videotapes an ambitious senator to be's dirty dealings with the mob and suffice to say gunmen come a gunning for him and his family a few hours later, this puts our cop in a coma and when he awakens seven years later, it's time for revenge. Hard To Kill is one of Seagal's better action flicks, it contains all the akidio and mean spirited breaking of arms but also the story is stronger and Seagal is in excellent form. The one liners are somewhat cheesy but Hard To Kill works on a visceral level and one doesn't go in expecting more.* *1/2 out of 4-(Pretty good)
"I'm gonna take you to the bank Senator. To the blood bank."
posted on 19 Aug 2009It's hard to hate Hard to Kill, but you will also find it hard to avoid soiling yourself after being subjected to the unintentional humor inherant in any quality Seagal flick, this one no exception. Grasshopper Steven portrays Mason Storm, a man brutally cut down in his home by crooked cops and presumed dead... that is until he shows signs of life in the emergency room and is kept alive in a coma for years. He awakens in the 1990s with the beautiful Kelly LeBrock as his nurse and soon realizes that he is being sought out by the same cops that attempted to murder him years earlier. Seagal manages to recall a shady Senator through a memory lapse and promises to take him to the blood bank. Some other humorous moments include Seagal punching a wood plank out of its ground anchor during his training sessions, Seagal covered with smoking acupuncture needles during therapy, Seagal throwing a tribal mask over the head of a defeated enemy, etc. Another winner.