JOHN WOO

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BB.5. 

USA, 1993.  Universal Pictures, Alphaville Films, Renaissance Pictures, S & R Productions.  Screenplay by Chuck Pfarrer.  Cinematography by Russell Carpenter.  Produced by Sean Daniel, James Jacks.  Music by Graeme Revell, Tim Simonec.  Production Design by Phil Dagort.  Costume Design by Karyn Wagner.  Film Editing by Bob Murawski.  

Well-meaning, fun action film signals John Woo’s U.S. debut and a big hit for Belgian kickboxing champ Jean-Claude Van Damme. He plays a Louisiana drifter who is hired by a desperate woman (Yancy Butler) looking for her missing father. Their investigation into his whereabouts result in the discovery of an underground human hunting club run by Lance Henriksen, who accepts huge sums of money from adventurous businessmen looking to hunt humans as sport; in this particular case, former soldiers make the best targets. Featuring a crafty story and unobtrusive direction by Woo that sticks to the script without any particular flourishes, it also champions Woo’s trademark violent streak but not enough of the character depth that made Hard-Boiled or The Killer so endearing. Still, it’s not bad either.