The Hard Way

When it comes to dialogue, less is more, in this epic of the unspoken word. Patrick McGoohan, Lee Van Cleef and Irish backdrop make for pleasurable after-pub eye candy. Blink and you might miss nothing - or you might miss everything. See it once and you'll never forget it - no matter how late you got home after the pub. Top stuff.

The mix of understated drama and taut plot, superbly punctuated with just the right amount of dramatic action,makes this a good flick for an evening watch. The acting is quite good enough, particularly Lee Van Cleef and Patrick McGoolan, as is the cinematography.

A brooding film in which one feels the angst of the retiring Irish hit-man (Patrick McGoohan) who foolishly agrees to do one last assassination. This quiet film is poignantly "narrated" by the gunman's estranged wife whose memories enter the story to provide a framework and background for the tragic figure and his family. Any "Prisoner" fan will see parallels between aspects of this plot and McGoohan's previous series: an agent who wants to give up his covert work but is not let off the hook so easily by his masters. The agent decides to leave anyway and is pursued relentlessly by his former bosses. In "The Hard Way" this pursuit takes us through rural Ireland to a dramatic showdown with Lee Van Cleef. An understated, interesting study, worth a look.

This is, indeed, a quiet film with little dialog and few characters. Unfortunately, that style of filmmaking relies heavily on expert acting, an extremely sharp screenplay, and top-notch cinematography to succeed. The cinematography was fine. But the rest, not so much. McGoohan and VanCleef were both fine actors. McGoohan made his career by saying as little as possible so he fits perfectly into this style. But when they're asked to actually speak ... ugh. The dialog is generally hackneyed and stiff. The story elements, in general, were quite cliche'd even by 1979.

Overall I'd recommend watching it if you're a McGoohan or VanCleef fan. But otherwise you won't at a loss for missing it.

Seeing Patrick McGoohan and Lee Van Cleef in the same film, is reason enough to seek out "The Hard Way". McGoohan plays an Irish hit-man, obsessed with guns, who unexpectedly wants to retire. Van Cleef urges him to do one last difficult job for him, threatening McGoohan's wife for leverage. Eventually McGoohan reneges on the hit and kills a couple of hit men who are sent after him, leading to a cat and mouse climax between Van Cleef and McGoohan. The finale takes place in a booby trapped mansion and the confrontation and ending are both exciting and satisfying. For fans of either McGoohan or Van Cleef, this is a must see film. - MERK