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{{Short description|1990 film by Bruce Malmuth}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Hard to Kill
| image          = Hard To Kill.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Bruce Malmuth]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Gary Adelson]]
* [[Joel Simon]]
* [[Bill Todman, Jr.]]
}}
| writer         = Steven McKay
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Steven Seagal]]
* [[Kelly LeBrock]]
* [[William Sadler (actor)|Bill Sadler]]
* [[Frederick Coffin]]}}
| music          = [[David Michael Frank]]
| cinematography = [[Matthew F. Leonetti]]
| editing        = [[John F. Link]]
| studio         = Lee Rich Productions
| distributor    = [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]]
| released       = {{Film date|1990|02|09}}
| runtime        = 95 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $11.5 million<ref name="AFI">{{AFI film|58536}}</ref>
| gross          = $75 million<ref name=AFI/>
}}

'''''Hard to Kill''''' is a 1990 American [[vigilante film|vigilante]] [[action-thriller film]] directed by [[Bruce Malmuth]], written by Steven McKay, and starring [[Steven Seagal]], [[Kelly LeBrock]], [[William Sadler (actor)|William Sadler]] and [[Frederick Coffin]]. Seagal's second film after ''[[Above the Law (1988 film)|Above the Law]]'', he portrays Mason Storm, a detective who falls into a coma after being shot during a home invasion that killed his wife. Reawakening seven years later, Storm embarks on a journey to avenge the death of his wife, and expose the corruption of Senator Vernon Trent, the man who ordered the murder of his family. The film was released by [[Warner Bros. Pictures]] on February 9, 1990, and grossed $75 million worldwide.

==Plot==
In 1983, [[LAPD]] [[internal affairs (law enforcement)|IA]] detective Mason Storm investigates a mob meeting held by a pier. He records a shadowy figure who assures the mob they can rely on his political support. Mason is spotted, but escapes. Unaware that he is monitored by corrupt cops, Mason informs his partner, Becker, and his friend, Lt. O'Malley, that he has evidence of corruption.

Mason hides the videotape in his house. When he goes upstairs, a hit squad composed of corrupt policemen, including Jack Axel and Max Quentero, breaks in, murders Mason's wife, and shoots him. Mason's young son, Sonny, escapes through a window. The corrupt policemen frame Mason, making it look like a murder-suicide. At the same time, assassins kill Mason's partner. Later at the hospital, Mason is first pronounced dead, but is then discovered to be alive, although in a coma. To prevent the assassins from finishing the job, Lieutenant O'Malley tells the medics to keep Mason's status a secret.

Seven years later, Mason wakes from his coma. Andy Stewart, one of his nurses, makes a phone call, which is intercepted by corrupt police officers. They send Axel to finish the job and kill the nurses to whom Mason might have talked. Mason realizes that he is still in danger, but his muscles have [[atrophy|atrophied]] to the point where he can barely move. He manages to get to an elevator, and when Andy sees her co-workers being killed, she helps Mason escape.

Needing time to recuperate, Andy takes Mason to a friend's house, where Mason uses his knowledge of [[acupuncture]], [[moxibustion]], and other meditation techniques to recover his strength. While training, Mason hears a commercial for Senator Vernon Trent and recognizes the voice from the pier. Mason contacts O'Malley, who supplies him with weapons and tells him that his son is still alive. O'Malley adopted Sonny and sent him to a private school to keep him out of danger. He arranges to meet O'Malley and his now-teenage son at a train station later. After O'Malley leaves, Senator Trent's men find the house and attempt to kill Andy and Mason, but they both manage to escape.

Posing as a real estate agent, Mason recovers the hidden videotape from his old house. O'Malley and Sonny arrive at the train station, but are confronted by some of the Senator's men. Sonny flees with the tape, but O'Malley is killed. When Mason arrives, he sees Sonny running away from Quentero and Nolan. Mason catches up with the men and subdues Nolan by breaking his leg and throwing him in a trash bin. He then beats up Quentero and recognizes him as one of the men who took part in the assault on Mason's home. Mason snaps Quentero's neck, killing him. After a brief reunion with his son, Mason goes after Senator Trent.

Mason sneaks into the Senator's mansion and manages to eliminate his men one by one. Mason fights with Axel in the billiard room and avenges his wife by jamming a broken pool cue into Axel's neck, killing him. Next, Mason leaves a death taunt to Capt. Hulland, another corrupt cop who betrayed Mason to Trent, stalks Hulland through the house before cornering the corrupt captain near the fireplace. Mason then strangles Hulland with his necktie and breaks his neck, killing him as well. Mason finally confronts Senator Trent and holds him at gunpoint when the police storm the mansion. However, they reveal that they had already seen the film and knew that Mason was set up. Trent is arrested, and Mason is reunited with Andy and his son as footage from the videotape is played on the news, showing Trent making a deal with the underworld mob and emerging from the shadows.

==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Steven Seagal]] as Detective Mason Storm
* Zachary Rosencrantz as Sonny Storm
* [[Kelly LeBrock]] as Andrea "Andy" Stewart
* [[William Sadler (actor)|William Sadler]] as Senator Vernon Trent 
* [[Frederick Coffin]] as Lieutenant Kevin O'Malley
* Andrew Bloch as Captain Dan Hulland
* [[Branscombe Richmond]] as Detective Max Quentero
* Charles Boswell as Detective Jack Axel
* James DiStefano as Detective Nolan
* [[Dean Norris]] as Sergeant Goodhart
* [[Bonnie Burroughs]] as Felicia Storm 
* Lou Beatty, Jr. as Detective Carl Becker
* [[Robert LaSardo]] as Punk
* [[Ernie Lively]] as LAPD Captain
* Julia Stormson as Girl in Hot-tub
}}

==Reception==

===Box office===
''Hard to Kill'' debuted at number 1 at the U.S. box office with an opening weekend gross of $9.2 million,<ref name=mojo/><ref>{{cite news|title=WEEKEND BOX OFFICE 'Kill' Opens Big; 'Cannons,' 'Stanley' Fade|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=1990-02-13|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-02-13-ca-483-story.html|access-date=2010-11-28|first=Pat H.|last=Broeske|archive-date=2023-06-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614115112/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-02-13-ca-483-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> the biggest 3-day February opening at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|date=February 13, 1990|title='Hard' Heads B.O. With $9.2 Mil|last=McBride|first=Joseph|page=1}}</ref> It eventually grossed $48 million in the United States and Canada<ref name=mojo>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hardtokill.htm|title=Hard to Kill|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=2016-04-29|archive-date=2013-01-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106022535/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hardtokill.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> and $75 million worldwide.<ref name=AFI/>

===Critical response===
It holds a 33% approval rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 15 reviews; the average rating is 4.1/10.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hard_to_kill/|title=Hard to Kill (1990)|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=2022-08-08|archive-date=2022-11-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126170251/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hard_to_kill|url-status=live}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/?|title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com }}</ref> [[Owen Gleiberman]] of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' rated it a letter grade of D− and called Seagal as generic an actor as the film.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Hard to Kill|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=1990-02-23|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,316778,00.html|access-date=2010-12-07|archive-date=2010-12-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217062740/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,316778,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>  In describing the film as "a lively one for its genre", [[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "Mr. Seagal is effective for both his novelty value and his ability to be both literally and figuratively disarming."<ref>{{cite news|title=Review/Film; Out of a Coma, Still Dapper and Disarming|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=1990-02-10|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/10/movies/review-film-out-of-a-coma-still-dapper-and-disarming.html|access-date=2010-12-14|first=Janet|last=Maslin|archive-date=2011-01-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110127145317/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/10/movies/review-film-out-of-a-coma-still-dapper-and-disarming.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
* ''[[Cheetah (1994 film)|Cheetah]]''
* ''[[Ram Shastra]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{AFI film|id=58536|title=Hard To Kill}}
* {{mojo title|id=hardtokill}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0099739}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|hard_to_kill}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=77390}}

{{Bruce Malmuth}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hard To Kill}}
[[Category:1990 films]]
[[Category:1990 action thriller films]]
[[Category:1990 martial arts films]]
[[Category:1990 American films]]
[[Category:1990 English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s vigilante films]]
[[Category:American action thriller films]]
[[Category:American martial arts films]]
[[Category:American police detective films]]
[[Category:American vigilante films]]
[[Category:English-language action thriller films]]
[[Category:Films about the Los Angeles Police Department]]
[[Category:Films directed by Bruce Malmuth]]
[[Category:Films scored by David Michael Frank]]
[[Category:Films set in 1983]]
[[Category:Films set in 1990]]
[[Category:Films set in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. films]]