‘Hard’ Takes a Provocative Look at a Gay Cop vs. Serial Killer

John Huckert’s “Hard,” one of the best films from Outfest ‘98, is an ambitious and successful first effort, a taut, chilling police procedural that plays the plight of a closeted gay cop (Noel Palomaria) against the rampaging of a savage serial killer (Malcolm Moorman). “Hard” represents an imaginative, provocative use of genre that is rightly deeply disturbing in its implications. “Hard” is hard to take in some of its imagery, but it’s not irresponsible; it emphasizes the consequences of violence over the acts themselves.

Moorman’s Jack is a gay man’s nightmare. Rugged and handsome, he’s physically a fantasy figure come to life, but he’s also possessed of a psychopath’s fearlessness. When he comes on to a man in a bar in his insinuating yet forceful way, he has little reason to expect much resistance. Jack is an insatiable seducer but is in the grip of such intense internalized homophobia that he feels compelled to kill his lovers; in this way he has much in common with Jeffrey Dahmer as an attractive yet lethally self-hating gay man. Hitchhikers and hustlers are especially vulnerable to Jack’s deadly instincts.

Arriving in Los Angeles to continue his killing spree, Jack cannot resist observing from a bridge a police investigation of the corpse of one of his victims. His gaze rests upon Palomaria’s Raymond, a rookie homicide detective. Later on at a gay bar, when Jack recognizes Raymond as one of the cops at the crime scene, he comes on to the policeman; at the same time he hits upon a particularly diabolical scheme.

Huckert and his co-writer John Matkowsky gradually intensify Raymond’s predicament as a gay cop who leaves himself open to all manner of homophobia if he comes out of the closet but who eventually may face even worse consequences if he does not. That homophobia persists in America’s police departments is well-documented, manifesting itself not only in the harassment of gay cops but often in indifference to gay murder victims. These concerns emerge implicitly within “Hard” and not in a preachy manner.

Palomaria and Moorman head a list of outstanding actors. Charles Lanyer lends the entire film dimension and maturity as Raymond’s veteran partner, a seen-it-all cop who teaches the rookie the ropes and is secure and wise enough to take in stride Raymond’s homosexuality when it inevitably surfaces. Michael Waite, who has a Billy Bob Thornton quality, is wonderful as a naive bisexual security guard who gives Jack shelter. Mitchell Grobeson, the Los Angeles Police Department sergeant who filed the first lawsuit in the U.S. by a law enforcement officer to prohibit discrimination based upon sexual orientation, has an effective cameo.

With a whopping 40 locations and 56 speaking parts, culminating in North Hollywood’s El Portal theater, “Hard” had challenging logistics for a picture that cost only $87,000. With co-writer Matkowsky’s resourceful camera work and a suitably ominous score composed by Huckert and Phil Settle, “Hard’ proves that imagination and craftsmanship can still count for more than money.

* Unrated. Times guidelines: The sex is not hard-core but leaves little to the imagination. There are also strong images of bloody corpses and sexual sadism; the film is absolutely unsuitable for children, even if accompanied by an adult.

‘Hard’

Noel Palomaria: Det. Raymond Vates

Malcolm Moorman: Jack

Charles Lanyer: Det. Tom Ellis

Michael Waite: Andy

A Jour de Fe^te release of an M.P.H. production. Director John Huckert. Producers John Matkowsky, Noel Palomaria and Huckert. Screenplay by Huckert & Matkowsky. Cinematographer Matkowsky. Editor Huckert. Music Phil Settle & Huckert. Production designer Matkowsky. Technical advisors Dennis R. Herrera, Sgt. Mitchell Grobeson, LAPD. Running time: 1 hour, 39 minutes.

At selected theaters.