Hard Country

This has been one of my favorites. Kim is so innocent and probably at her most beautiful. this is just a feel good movie, you dont have to think about the plot just sit back and watch and enjoy the simple life of Texas and their dreams of being somewhere else.

In the current days of CGI, it is rare to see movies like this nowadays!! This is a gritty, blue collar love-story with a lot of heart. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this story - the country bars, the little apartment, the mobile-home lot, the fence factory. It's gritty and real- the dust, the wind, the empty Texas roads. Kim Basinger is truly delightful as Jodie. She's all charm, with her Georgia drawl in full swing. I am a huge Jan Michael Vincent fan, and this is one of his best roles! It's nice to see him in a more adult role. The heavy drinker side of his character comes naturally - obviously! But Jan always had a great underlying angst in all his characters. He always has a detached, macho pathos which he conveys with those eyes - just makes him fascinating to watch. He has great chemistry with Kim Basinger in this. He struggles with his job, his sleazy brother, his drinking, and Jodie's willfulness. It's a great role for him! This is a MUST SEE for any Jan or Kim fans out there!

This over-long Texas flick tries hard but unfortunately is rather dull in stretches. Very predictable ending. Basinger acquits herself well in her debut. There are a few nice moments and the Texas backdrop is pleasant enough. A lack of strong direction and drive and not enough charisma on the part of Jan-Michael Vincent are what cause the film to suffer.

Kim Basinger made her feature film debut as a woman in a small town in a small town in Texas questioning her relationship with her redneck boyfriend. "Hard Country" strikes me as an attempt to look at the feminist movement. The movie DOES feature a lot of Texas stereotypes, although they're probably accurate. In the end, I thought that it did a good job showing the main character's desperation with her irresponsible boyfriend and lack of opportunities in this small town. And the soundtrack proves what should be well known by now: a lot of good music comes from the Lone Star State (it almost makes you forget that Texas is full of, well, Texans). And it should go without saying that Basinger looks mighty fine throughout the movie (as she always does).

Also starring are Jan-Michael Vincent, Michael Parks, Tanya Tucker, Daryl Hannah and Ted Neeley (Jesus in "Jesus Christ Superstar" and more recently a tracker in "Django Unchained").

This is one of the best movies I've had the pleasure of watching. It sorta reminds me of "Urban Cowboy" because a lot of the movie takes place at a honky tonk and the main characters in the movie likes to go there a lot. I liked the part where they pulled Johnny Bob's mobile home/worm farm out onto the highway and left it. Later on Johnny Bob does a belly whopper off the barroom table and winds up hurt. And that was one heckuva fight that Vicent got into with his mobile home selling brother. Vincent sure did have one sleazy brother when he was sitting in his office watching porno and then tried to seduce Vincent's girlfriend played by Kim Basinger. I don't know if Vincent got into that fight with his brother cause he was jealous of all the money that his brother had, or because he was messing with his girlfriend. I think Vincent's brother musta been greedy or something because his wife sure was gorgeous. So why woulda he wanta hit on Jodie(Basinger)? If this movie was made today and Vincent woulda tried to run outta on the runway to beg his girlfriend from leaving, he mighta got shot! Seriously, this was a good movie and I hope to get it on DVD!