The Hard Way
There's only one way these two are going to get along...
1991 | 111m | English
Popularity: 3 (history)
| Director: | John Badham |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Lem Dobbs, Michael Kozoll, Daniel Pyne |
| Staring: |
| Seeking to raise his credibility as an actor and to land a role as a tough cop on a new show, Hollywood action star Nick Lang works a deal with New York City Police Capt. Brix, who by chance is one of his fans. Nick will be paired with detective Lt. John Moss and learn how to act like a real cop. But when Nick drives John crazy with questions and imitating him, he gets in the way of John's pursuit of a serial killer. | |
| Release Date: | Mar 08, 1991 |
|---|---|
| Director: | John Badham |
| Writer: | Lem Dobbs, Michael Kozoll, Daniel Pyne |
| Genres: | Comedy, Action, Crime |
| Keywords | detective, dual identity, identity, undercover agent, role reversal, police, movie star, buddy cop, manhattan, new york city |
| Production Companies | Universal Pictures, The Badham-Cohen Group |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $65,595,485
Budget: $24,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Feb 01, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Michael J. Fox | Nick Lang |
| James Woods | John Moss |
| Stephen Lang | Party Crasher |
| Annabella Sciorra | Susan |
| John Capodice | Grainy |
| Luis Guzmán | Pooley |
| LL Cool J | Billy |
| Mary Mara | China |
| Delroy Lindo | Captain Brix |
| Conrad Roberts | Witherspoon |
| Christina Ricci | Bonnie |
| Penny Marshall | Angie |
| George Cheung | Drug Dealer |
| Frank Geraci | Newsman |
| Sophie Maletsky | Pizza Waitress |
| Lewis Black | Banker |
| Rand Foerster | Banker |
| Anderson Matthews | Banker |
| Kathy Najimy | Lang's Girl Friday |
| Yasiin Bey | Dead Romeos |
| Dwayne McClary | Dead Romeos |
| Sharrieff Pugh | Dead Romeos |
| Anthony Thomas | Dead Romeos |
| Howard 'Stick' Baines | Dead Romeos |
| Shawn McLean | Dead Romeos |
| Curtis McClarin | Dead Romeos |
| Keenan Leung | Dead Romeos |
| Bill Cobbs | Raggedy Man |
| Reno | Diner Waitress |
| John Costelloe | Fake Dead Guy / Cop |
| Leif Riddell | Head Mugger |
| Johnny Sanchez | Mugger |
| Joseph Tripi | Mugger |
| Karen Lynn Gorney | Woman in Subway |
| Janet Sarno | Continental Representative |
| Jan Speck | T.V. Reporter |
| Holly Kuespert | 'Smoking Gunn' Girl |
| John Ring | Homeboy Cop |
| Michael Jeffrey Woods | Cop |
| William Truesdale | Witherspoon's Bodyguard |
| Mark Woodcock | Clothing Salesman |
| Ed Setrakian | Chief Villain |
| David Sosna | Frog Dog Vendor |
| Adore O'Hara | Dead Entertainer |
| Michael Badalucco | Pizza Man |
| Jordanna Freedman | Moviegoer |
| Merrill Witten | Scared Subway Woman |
| Fracaswell Hyman | Wino |
| Mario Bosco | Boy in Theater |
| Bryant Gumbel | Self |
| Trish Cook | Dancer (uncredited) |
| Fabio | Bystander (uncredited) |
| George Gerard | Theatre Goer (uncredited) |
| David Hummel | Police Officer (uncredited) |
| Jim Lavin | Dying Film Detective (uncredited) |
| Anibal O. Lleras | Detective (uncredited) |
| Isabella Martinez Wall | Billy's Girlfriend (uncredited) |
| Paul Mormando | Ninja 1 (uncredited) |
| Ronald Rand | Paramedic (uncredited) |
| Kariim Ratcliff | Movie Goer (uncredited) |
| Andrew D. Schwartz | Press Photographer (uncredited) |
| Charles Scorsese | Senior Citizen (uncredited) |
| Frank Stellato | Subway Yuppie (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Tony Lombardo | Editor |
| Tom Warren | Assistant Art Director |
| Deborah La Mia Denaver | Makeup Artist, Hairstylist |
| Barbara Anne Klein | Stunts |
| Charles Croughwell | Stunt Double |
| Diane Peterson | Stunts |
| Jery Hewitt | Stunts |
| David Sosna | First Assistant Director |
| Dana Bertolette | Stunts |
| Kerrie Cullen | Stunts |
| Dick Hancock | Stunts |
| Rick Seaman | Stunts |
| Harry Wowchuk | Stunts |
| William H. Steiner | Camera Operator |
| Norman Douglass | Stunts |
| John W. DeBlau | Gaffer |
| Danny Aiello III | Stunts |
| Peter Bucossi | Stunts |
| Conan Lee | Stunts |
| Manny Siverio | Stunts |
| Dick Mingalone | Camera Operator |
| Gene Harrison | Stunt Double, Stunts |
| Debbie Lynn Ross | Stunts |
| David Knox | Steadicam Operator |
| Frank Ferrara | Stunts |
| Dianne Dreyer | Script Supervisor |
| Rick Provenzano | Hairstylist |
| James V. Gartland | Construction Coordinator |
| Jeff Block | Casting Associate |
| Robert Primes | Director of Photography |
| Jeff Jarvis | Special Effects Coordinator |
| William A. Farley | Hairstylist |
| Susan Bode Tyson | Set Decoration |
| Charley Beal | Assistant Art Director |
| Timothy Alberts | Set Costumer |
| Bron Roylance | Makeup Artist |
| Frank Morriss | Editor |
| John Kasarda | Art Direction |
| Dan Hoffman | Animation Supervisor |
| Philip Harrison | Production Design |
| John Magoun | Assistant Art Director |
| Joseph Coscia | Hairstylist |
| Guy Tanno | Costume Supervisor |
| George Potts | Assistant Costume Designer |
| Bernadette Mazur | Makeup Artist |
| Nancy Ellen Anzalone | Stunts |
| Richard T. Allen | Construction Coordinator |
| Tony Adler | Second Assistant Director |
| Bruce Paul Barbour | Stunts |
| Paul Bucossi | Stunts |
| John Badham | Director |
| Arthur B. Rubinstein | Original Music Composer |
| Bonnie Timmermann | Casting |
| Mary E. Vogt | Costume Design |
| Steven Lambert | Stunt Double |
| Donald McAlpine | Director of Photography |
| Peewee Piemonte | Stunts |
| G.A. Aguilar | Stunts |
| Conrad E. Palmisano | Stunt Coordinator |
| Rob Cohen | Second Unit Director |
| Lem Dobbs | Story, Screenplay |
| Michael Kozoll | Story |
| Daniel Pyne | Screenplay |
| Frank Serrano | Second Second Assistant Director |
| Ingrid Johanson | Production Coordinator |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Michael Kozoll | Producer |
| Lem Dobbs | Producer |
| Rob Cohen | Producer |
| Peter R. McIntosh | Co-Producer |
| William Sackheim | Producer |
| Keith Rubinstein | Associate Producer |
| D.J. Caruso | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 19 | 31 | 13 |
| 2024 | 5 | 22 | 30 | 14 |
| 2024 | 6 | 21 | 36 | 11 |
| 2024 | 7 | 20 | 30 | 10 |
| 2024 | 8 | 20 | 31 | 12 |
| 2024 | 9 | 16 | 30 | 11 |
| 2024 | 10 | 15 | 23 | 10 |
| 2024 | 11 | 14 | 23 | 9 |
| 2024 | 12 | 14 | 24 | 9 |
| 2025 | 1 | 14 | 25 | 8 |
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 16 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Trending Position
What do you call an action comedy with no cool action and no funny comedy? The Hard Way. ...
Will you open up? I just want to know what it feels like to be inside your skin. The Hard Way is directed by John Badham and collectively written by Lem Dobbs, Michael Kozoll and Daniel Pyne. It stars James Woods, Michael J. Fox, Stephen Lang, Annabella Sciorra, Luis Guzman, LL Cool J and Delroy ... Lindo. Music is by Arthur B. Rubinstein and cinematography is by Don McAlpine and Robert Primes. An action movie star researching a role is allowed to tag along with a hardboiled New York City policeman, who is less than enamoured with his company as he looks to stop the serial killer known as "The Party Crasher". Given John Badham's CV, The Hard Way looked to be right up his street, his career containing solid if unspectacular buddy buddy action comedy pictures. This is just above average thanks to the Woods and Fox pairing and some nifty dialogue one liners. The concept of a Hollywood star tagging along with a grizzled real copper is smart, but the pic ends up over stuffed, even if the action and comedy - courtesy of some high energy set-pieces - rewards enough to stop tedium setting in. Lang's maniacal villain is over the top, though he seems to be enjoying himself, while such is the brisk pace for the most part, when it sags into its quieter periods it strains the patience - the blend uneasy. Yet the finale rewards on basic action terms, with suspense intact, to ultimately give us a just above average pic of its type. 6/10