The Hard Way (1991) DVD

Los Angeles glitz meets New York grit in director John Badham's action-packed comedy. In New York's Times Square a billboard looms larger than life for a new Hollywood blockbuster starring Nick Lang (Michael J. Fox), an Indiana Jones-style superstar. The real Nick Lang is holed up in a neighbouring apartment studying every move and mannerism of Lieutenant John Moss (James Woods), a hard-nosed, streetwise cop who has been taken off of a serial killer case for a new assignment: showing the Hollywood star how a real cop lives, in preparation for a new film role. With rapid-fire dialogue and a hysterical high-energy performance, Fox brilliantly parodies a spoiled Hollywood celebrity complete with model girlfriends, and a tough cookie agent played with ease by Penny Marshall. Woods ignites the screen as the explosive New York cop who must learn how to get along with his new partner.