Love the Hard Way (2001)

The story of a petty thief who meets an innocent young woman and brings her into his world of crime while she teaches him the lessons of enjoying life and being loved.

Director:

Peter Sehr

Writers:

Shuo Wang (novel) (as Wang Shuo), Peter Sehr (screenplay)

Stars:

Adrien Brody, Charlotte Ayanna, Jon Seda

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adrien Brody	...	Jack Grace
Charlotte Ayanna	...	Claire Harrison
Jon Seda	...	Charlie
August Diehl	...	Jeff
Pam Grier	...	Det. Linda Fox
Liza Jessie Peterson	...	Pam
Elizabeth Regen	...	Sue
Katherine Moennig	...	Debbie
Joey Kern	...	Fitzgerald
Jonathan Hadary	...	Boris
Michael G. Chin	...	Asian Businessman #1
Ben Wang	...	Asian Businessman #2
Huan Wang	...	Asian Businessman #3
Ned Stresen-Reuter	...	Brian
Michaela Conlin	...	Cara, Jack's Lover

Storyline

The story of a petty thief who meets an innocent young woman and brings her into his world of crime while she teaches him the lessons of enjoying life and being loved.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | cigarette smoking | based on novel | independent film | thief | 

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Genres:

Drama | Crime | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, language and violence

Details

Official Sites:

official site [United States]

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English Spanish German French Russian

Release Date:

27 March 2003 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Amar al límite

Filming Locations:

Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,721, 8 June 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$43,571, 13 July 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vif Babelsberger Filmproduktion GmbH & Co. Dritte KG,P'Artisan Filmproduktion GmbH,TiMe Film- und TV-Produktions GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Claire: So what do you like? Besides smoking?
Jack: What do I like? Boxer who can hook off the jab. Oysters, Rockafeller. Rugrats. Anything that gives me a kick.
Claire: And you make a living out of that?
Jack: Uh huh, Not bad. Some nights I go out with Charlie and I rip off forigen business men. You should turn me into the police, you'd be doing the world a favor.
Claire: Its too late. Someone already did. I'm an undercover agent for the RICO squad.

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Alternate Versions

Current prints available have two on-screen copyright statements: 2001 listing the 2 copyright owners and "2003 final cut." The initial showings at various film festivals in 2001 and 2002 were obviously different than the final 2003 theatrical released version.

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Connections

Version of Yi ban hai shui, yi ban huo yan (2008)

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Soundtracks

Simple
Performed by Me and the Other Guy
Written by Didi Gutman and Rahj

User Reviews

Virgin Myth

Pam Grier steals this film and she's only on screen for five minutes total. She's a whole lot of woman! Just kidding. I liked Love the Hard Way. Here is an attempt at a modern romantic myth, namely the American Virgin. Sure men want their love chick to be pure, to raise sons and daughters that are yours and yours alone, but Adrien Brody is a young thief in a porno world he did not make. After all, he's slept with 200 women. So in between hotel sleaze capers, he beds innocent Columbia biology genius with the big chest, Charlotte Avanna, and our Lothario gets more than he bargained for as his virgin becomes promiscuous in the cause of thievery. Naturally, our hero is stunned, angry, and confused.

Charlottes' revenge or strategy to get her man is pretty far fetched, but the director has created an atmosphere of slimy New York thieves on the make with a rap film score and big Cadillac's squealing tires amidst the riff raff, so we sort of believe the unbelievable. It's a nice try in the same vein as Tarentino's script, True Romance, but LTHW is grittier.