Hard to Kill

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Hard to Kill (1990)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 1/05, 5/08, 1/20, 10/25

HardKill
5/08: Hard to Kill is a kick-ass Seagal classic.

Steven Seagal was one of the most exciting actor to come out of Hollywood at the end of the 80's. Every time he fights a bad guy, it's so quick and effective. The first four films comprise the core of his career. They are all addicting to watch, especially when Aikido is involved.

This one has a great story with fast pace. When the attention is on Steven Seagal, he's exciting, fascinating, and arresting at once. Compared to Above the Law, his acting is much improved.

All in all, the filmmakers got it right...Steven Seagal is Hard to Kill.

1/20: "The most unstoppable son of a bitch I ever knew."

That's the best quote of Hard to Kill to describe Steven Seagal's character, Mason Storm, for the follow-up to the box-office smash Above the Law. It's certainly an exciting movie with a gripping story that unfortunately mythologizes too much about what happens to coma patients.

It's very rare that a coma will last more than several weeks. If it does, the reclassification will be "persistent vegetative state," which is often attributed to brain injury. Once this happens, it's unlikely the patient ever wakes up. Most don't recover fully or have a meaningful interaction with the environment. In fact, they'll be severely disabled.

So, what Mason Storm did after being in a persistent vegetative state for seven years and then recovering so quickly afterwards is damn impossible. Then again, you have to remember what O'Malley said: "The most unstoppable son of a bitch," hence the title Hard to Kill. At any rate, who cares as long as Steven Seagal is kicking ass?

All in all, Hard to Kill is one of the best Steven Seagal movies.

10/25: Two of my favorite scenes, apart from the fights, are the bad guys coming to the hospital after Mason Storm wakes up from a seven-year coma and the casual exchange of his shot-up Jeep for a yellow Camaro.