“The
life of the mercenary is transitory
and violent. They roam the world in
packs, feeding off obscure political
upsets, war and the general shabby
consequences of man’s
appetite for
destruction and power. John Connor
is a hit man who wants out in the
1979 thriller The Hard Way, that comes
to DVD with a flourish of dramatic
cinema history from two decades ago...” PLAYING AGAINST TYPE, Patrick McGoohan (Danger Man, The Prisoner)
gives a good account of himself as the broody, difficult-to-fathom John Connor
— a hit-man who is weary of watching men die, the anonymous hotel
rooms, the dark streets and the constant danger of his twilight world, and who
just wants to retire to his quiet country home in Ireland.
As far as Connor is concerned; he has fired his last shot. But there is one
snag. He is the best in the business and paymaster "The Co-ordinator" McNeal
(Hollywood legend Lee Van Cleef: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly) wants
him to carry out yet another execution — and he will use any means to get
Connor to do it.
Connor has already lost his wife Kathleen (Edna O'Brien) because she has tired
of too many 'last times', and his daughters are in the United States. Determined
to outwit McNeal, Connor sends his wife into hiding and begins to exterminate
McNeal's men as he draws nearer to a showdown with McNeal himself.
In a pulsating thriller about a merciless, dog eat dog world where there can
be no winners, there are twists and turns enough to keep the pace going and
the story is told from Kathleen's perspective. Patrick McGoohan and Lee Van
Cleef turn in believable and exciting performances, supported by a credible
cast who turn a simple story into a fine, intriguing film.
The Hard Way makes full use of Brian Eno's innovative readymade soundtrack
Music For Films with A Measured Room and Events In Dense Fog.
The Dear Irish Boy Solo Violin is by Tommy Potts from the album The
Liffey Banks.
The film also features Donal McCann as Ryan; Ronan Wilmot as Flynn; Kevin Flood
as Duval; Joe Lynch as Devane; Derek Lord as Casey; Michael Muldon as Hogan;
and Mesag Murako as Father Cressey. Director of Photography is Henri Decae;
Executive Producer is John Boorman (Excalibur); Screenplay is by Richard
F Tombleson and Kevin Grogan and Michael Dryhurst is both Producer and Director.
• The Hard Way
is a Network Releasing title and is now available on DVD. Certificate: 15 |
Release Date: 2 March, 2009 | RRP: £14.99 | Total Running Time: 90 Minutes (Approx)
| Screen Ratio: 1.33:1 Colour.
"The Hard Way… Patrick McGoohan and Lee Van Cleef turn in believable
and exciting performances as hard men in conflict in a merciless, dog eat dog
world, supported by a credible cast who turn a simple story into a fine, intriguing
film" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar
“The
life of the mercenary is transitory