Hard (1998)

Director:

John Huckert

Writers:

John Huckert, John Matkowsky

Stars:

Noel Palomaria, Malcolm Moorman, Charles Lanyer

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Noel Palomaria	...	Det. Raymond Vates
Malcolm Moorman	...	Jack
Charles Lanyer	...	Det. Tom Ellis
Michael Waite	...	Andy
Paula Kay Perry	...	Bette
Alex Depedro	...	Andy Jr.
Bob Hollander	...	Capt. Foster
Steve Andrews	...	Det. Hendrickson
K.D. Jones	...	Det. Jackson
Ken Narasaki	...	Det. Chyun
Steve Gonzales	...	Det. Dominguez
Cynthia Downey	...	Deputy Coroner
Chas Gray	...	Det. Kolletti
Brandi Garay	...	Cinnamon 'Lockjaw' Smith
M. Tiffany Reed	...	Officer Bruin

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

s&m | anal rape | locker room | gay kiss | cop | 

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Taglines:

A cop with a secret. A killer who knows it. The game is on.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and grisly afterviews, strong sexual content, language and some drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 2000 (Spain)

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$19,596 (USA) (25 June 1999)

Gross:

$19,596 (USA) (25 June 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

MPH Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

Hardly any animals were harmed in the making of this film

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Connections

References Dick Tracy (1937)

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Soundtracks

"When Dreams Say No"
Written & Performed by The Dripping Lips
Used by Permission of ALIVE Records.
All Rights Reserved

User Reviews

Gay Rookie Detective Takes on Gay Serial Killer

I recently rented a DVD version of "Hard". There were some extras, most notably two commentary tracks and some Q&A sessions at gay film festivals. For me the most interesting part of the whole experience was listening to the ex-police advisors discuss the problems they had when their departments found out the advisors were gay. Examples from these experiences (harassment, beatings, no back-up, etc.) were on display in the film. If you rent the DVD, be sure to check out the extras.

The film-makers make the statement that they wanted to show how the police disregard low prestige victims (e.g., hustlers), how the police make life a misery for gay cops, how serial killers really behave, and depict the plight of street people in general. Well, hustlers and others just show up in time to be victims and then are turned to bloody messes. So the focus is really on police behavior and on the killer.

Several scenes, especially the torture and darkened interior scenes, are lit and photographed well. The victims all come across with some personality. The bad guy was the most effective actor. The rest of the adult actors were just OK. Pacing was all right. The protagonist is a closeted gay man who has just been promoted to detective; he has to learn some things the hard way.

Your liking of the movie will depend some on your own fantasies. The police environment and issues raised are useful for everybody to consider.