The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #405: Welcome My Brother, Jeremy, as We Talk About Hard Target (1993)

My brother and I revisit the 1993 John Woo action martial arts film, Hard Target.

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #405: Welcome My Brother, Jeremy, as We Talk About Hard Target (1993)

https://archive.org/download/podcast-405/Podcast%20405.mp3

This week, my brother and I are watching Hard Tagret, a 1993 martial arts action thriller directed by John Woo (his first US film) with an ensemble cast of folks like Jean Claude Van Damme, Yancy Butler, Arnold Vosloo, Lance Henriksen, Wilfred Brimley, and Kasi Lemmons.  It is John Woo’s next film after 1992’s Hard Boiled, which we covered in episode 397 and while still part of the “heroic bloodshed” genre of films (like its predecessor and the 1986 Brandon Lee film, Legacy of Rage, that I discussed in episode 287), because it’s also a JCVD film and one made in the US, it is phenotypically an animal of a different expression while still retaining many of the things Woo is know for – slow motion, motorcycles, doves, and stylish gunplay.  You can see many of those things in effect in the trailer:

One thing that is a bit unique about this film is that slow-mo is already a staple of JCVD movies!  Check out this jump spin kick compilation showcasing one of JCVD’s trademark kicks that capitalize on his flexibility and previous ballet training.  You can argue that such techniques have zero place in combat, expose all the important targets, are too slow, take too much energy, take too much practice to be effective, etc – and you would be right … but in terms of inspiring countless people to want to do something similar and thus start training in martial arts, I can’t think of much better examples  

If you were alive in the 80s and 90s, you may remember Jean Claude Van Damme’s uncle in the film, played by Wilford Brimley, who you may remember from his Quaker oatmeal commercials:

Check out Jeremy‘s work over at Pixel Grotto, CBR.com, and Classic Batman Panels on IG. If you are of the DnD persuasion, his articles on DnD Beyond may be right up your alley, and you can view his entire portfolio here.  Thanks, Jeremy, for coming on the show!  

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Check out the growing line of Thirteenth Hour toys and other products on the Thirteenth Hour Studio Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenthHourStudio).  There are a number of custom figures from retro films being sold for charity that available there as well. 

Check out this collaboration with past show guest Jeff Finley on handpan: 

Follow along on Spotify!  There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.

Check it out!

As always, thanks for listening!

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ynth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.  

Stay tuned.  Follow along on Spotify!  There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.

Check it out!

As always, thanks for listening!

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