5) Emil Fouchon (played by Lance Henriksen) – Hard Target (1993)
When a villain gets fired up and starts to lose their mind, you know the shit is going to hit the fan and it sets an uneasy tone as to how things will play out. On the other hand, when a villain is calm as a cucumber and rarely lashes out, that sends chills down one’s spine that is unmatched. I personally would prefer to take on a villain who’s outspoken as to why they are so angry with the world because then I’d at least know what I’m dealing with. There’s just too much unpredictability with the calm silent type.
The other half of the Hard Target villain alumni is Emil Fouchon, and much like his counterpart Pik Van Cleef, his demeanor is eerily calm and collected. Lance Henriksen has stamped his mark on nearly every film genre, and like Stephen Rea, no matter what material he has to work with, he comes out smelling like a rose each and every time, even if the rest of the film stinks. Hard Target would have to be my personal favourite of Van Damme’s earlier work because it has everything an action fan could ask for, including two very adept and able villains who actually give JCVD a run for his money.
John Woo is a master of his craft, and true to form, he always dedicates much needed attention to his villains, who always are the main driving force of his films. Fouchon doesn’t have many aggressive moments on screen until the final act, but a very pivotal scene in the second act shows the audience everything they need to know about the character. While Van Cleef is briefing a new client on the next hunt, Fouchon is on his piano playing a little bit of Ludwig Van, and the way John Woo plays the scene out is focusing on the intensity in which the musical piece is played. The piece starts out almost serene, and then gradually builds to an intense climax, all the while Lance Henriksen remains mostly expressionless.
To me, and maybe I’m over-analyzing, this illustrated perfectly how mechanical and driven Fouchon is on achieving his goal, and while it was a unorthodox approach to take, it was very effective.