Hard to Kill

Seagal's second film

Hard to Kill is Steven Seagal's second film, two years after his breakout in Above the Law (1988). He plays the same unbeatable cop, this time in a revenge story: seven years in a coma, rehabilitation, then the hunt for the killers. Bruce Malmuth directed; shooting ran from 3 April to 16 June 1989. Kelly LeBrock plays the nurse who hides Storm, William Sadler the crooked senator and Dean Norris, later Hank in Breaking Bad, one of the hitmen.

Aikido on screen

Seagal taught Aikido in Japan before becoming an actor, and it sets his early films apart: wrist and arm locks, throws that use the attacker's momentum, short sharp strikes. Stuntman and fight choreographer Jeff Imada staged the fights, keeping a limited but visible amount of Aikido; practitioners will recognise the angled entries, the joint locks and the opponents' hard falls, far rougher than in the dojo. Storm's recovery through acupuncture and meditation adds a touch of traditional martial arts to the story. Seagal later claimed the director botched some fight scenes and kept him out of the edit; that is his account.

Number one in America

The film opened at number one in the US with 9.2 million dollars, then the biggest three-day February opening. It took 48 million in North America and 75 million worldwide on an 11.5 million budget. Critics were harsh (33% on Rotten Tomatoes), but audiences gave it an A- CinemaScore and Janet Maslin, in The New York Times, found it lively for its genre.

Who it's for

For early Seagal Aikido, between Above the Law and Out for Justice, before his films went straight to video.