Hard to Kill (1990)

Left for dead with his wife killed in their house, L.A. Detective Mason Storm will have to make a quick recovery, expose those behind the murder and take revenge.

Director:

Bruce Malmuth

Writer:

Steven McKay

Stars:

Steven Seagal, Kelly LeBrock, William Sadler

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steven Seagal	...	Mason Storm
Kelly LeBrock	...	Andy Stewart (as Kelly Le Brock)
William Sadler	...	Senator Vernon Trent (as Bill Sadler)
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

Storyline

Following up on a lead, L.A. Detective Mason Storm gathers evidence against the Mob and its political supporters but unfortunately, he is being monitored secretly, and when his cover gets blown, he will be home invaded and left for dead. Seven years later, Storm unexpectedly recovers from his deep coma only to realise that he needs to finish what he started and finally get even. In the end, now that Storm is unstoppable, no one will deny him of his rightful and devastatingly violent retribution. Who can be a match for a dead man's fury?

---

Plot Keywords:

coma | hospital | revenge | nurse | presumed dead | 

---

Taglines:

Nico's back and this time he's even more harder to kill.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Seven Year Storm

Filming Locations:

Saddlerock Ranch - 32111 Mulholland Highway, Malibu, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$47,410,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Lee Rich Productions, Adelson / Todman / Simon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (4 channels)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was filmed with the title "Seven Year Storm" and publicized in several trade magazines with that name. Warner Bros. decided to re title the finished pic "Hard to Kill" to make it sound more like a slam-bang action film.

---

Goofs

When Storm fights the four guys in the billiard room he stabs Jack Axel in the jugular with a pool cue, he then falls to the floor and dies with the cue still lodged in him. When Hulland enters the room shortly after and sees them laying on the floor either dead or unconscious, the cue that was lodged in Axel has vanished.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Mason Storm: Come on. Let's go, guys. I'm missin' the Oscars.

---

Alternate Versions

The UK cinema version was cut by 12 seconds to gain an '18' rating. The shotgun-in-the-mouth wardrobe scene was cut, as was the kick Seagal delivers to the face of the man with the snooker cue in his neck. The cut cinema version was submitted for the pan-and-scan video release in 1990. The previous cuts made to HARD TO KILL were restored for the 1999 video release (which came in a box set with cut versions of NICO (ABOVE THE LAW) and OUT FOR JUSTICE) and all DVD versions are also uncut.

---

Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Hilarious Action Hero One-Liners (2013)

---

Soundtracks

The Star-Spangled Banner
(uncredited)
Written by John Stafford Smith and Francis Scott Key

User Reviews

A Steven Seagal Film That Actually Works.

"Hard to Kill" is bar-none the best Steven Seagal film by a cosmic mile. That is not saying that this is a masterpiece, but it works pretty well due to some really evil bad guys (led by William Sadler) and the fact that Seagal's character is legitimately out for revenge. Seagal is a cop who has just learned that Sadler, an ambitious lawyer with political aspirations, is involved with shady cops and high-class crime syndicates. This information will lead to an attempt on Seagal's life which will kill his wife, cause their young son to just barely escape death and cause Seagal to go into a coma himself. Of course he awakes some eight years later and his only motivation is to bring all those involved to justice. Works well due to Seagal's performance more than anything else. 3.5 out of 5 stars.