The Hard Corps

Plot

Phillip Sauvage (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is an American soldier suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder caused by his time in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sauvage snaps out of his stupor just long enough to join Clarence Bowden (Julian D. Christopher), his former commanding officer, to work as a bodyguard for former World Heavyweight boxing champion and now successful businessman Wayne Barclay (Raz Adoti).

It appears that the release of notorious rap mogul Terrell Singletery (Viv Leacock) from prison has caused Barclay's worried sister Tamara (Vivica A. Fox) to take pro-active action by hiring Bowden and Sauvage, as Singletery has made threats in the past about doing away with the one man responsible for his incarceration Barclay himself.

The first night of bodyguard work does not go well for Sauvage and Bowden, as Bowden gets killed during an assassination attempt on Barclay by a Hummer full of Uzi-carrying gangbangers sent by Singletery. It is up to Sauvage to continue the fight, which means bringing in a reinforcement in his friend Casey Bledsoe (Mark Griffin), and training some new recruits not of his choosing.

Intending to give back to the streets that taught him toughness, Barclay insists that Sauvage compose his team of bodyguards by hiring people from Barclay's gym. But will they be enough to take down Singletery? However, Barclay gets suspicious of Sauvage, who is on first name basis with Tamara, after he sights her kissing him on the cheek one night.

Cast

Production

It is set and filmed at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Release

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the DVD in the United States on August 15, 2006.

Reception

Beyond Hollywood wrote the film's slow pacing and buildup do not live up to direct-to-video fans' expectations, though it is better than contemporary Steven Seagal films. Ian Jane of DVD Talk rated it 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "While The Hard Corps has a few shining moments, overall it's just not all that compelling".