
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 9, 1991                   TAG: 9103090377
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CHRIS GLADDEN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MOVIE ENTERTAINING, BUT DOES IT `THE HARD WAY'

Every now and then you read a story about an actor who joins up with a police force to research a role and all of the officers talk about how gutsy and down-to-earth the actor turns out to be.

If you're like me, you read such articles with an arched eyebrow and a yeah-yeah attitude and wonder what the cops say when the actor's not around.

That's the premise of "The Hard Way," a typically uneven movie from director John Badham. Well, "Bird on a Wire," his last action comedy, wasn't really uneven. It was just plain bad.

But this one has a lot more going for it despite some significant speed bumps slowing it down.

Michael J. Fox shows a delightful flair for self-mockery in the role of Nick Lang. Nick is a hugely successful actor who turns out action epics in the Indiana Jones mold. But Nick is unhappy despite his beach house full of beautiful women, his attentive servants and his adoring fans. Nick wants to be an artist, a serious actor.

Against the advice of his agent (Penny Marshall), Nick heads for New York City to spend a couple of weeks of research with a hard-driving detective. His name is John Moss and James Wood demonstrates some capacity for self-mockery as well in the intensity he brings to the role. Moss is on the trail of a serial killer dubbed the Party Crasher because he likes to murder his victims in public. Moss is also having problems with his new girlfriend (Annabella Sciorra). The last thing he wants is the company of a feckless and annoying celebrity who wants to bump up against reality.

The movie begins with a breezy satirical mood as it establishes the character of Nick and observes the Southern California lifestyle. Toward the end are some big, fun action scenes that could come straight out of one of Nick's movies. Badham's strongest talent as a director seems to be in setting up large-scale, action sequences.

In between, however, are some long gags that fall flat. Among Badham's major weaknesses is an inability to recognize the moments when broad humor doesn't work.

On a more troublesome level is the character of the Party Crasher. Played by Stephen Lang, he's one of those cackling sociopaths who always seem more of a gimmick than someone who convincingly inhabits a plot.

Still, "The Hard Way " is entertaining more often than not, primarily because of the interplay between Woods and Fox.

`THE HARD WAY 1/2: A Universal picture at the Towers Theatre (345-5519) and Valley View Mall 6 (362-8219). Rated R for violence and language; 105 minutes.

by CNB