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John Hyams

John Hyams

Director, editor, producer and writer · Born December 19, 1964 (61) · United States of America

John Hyams (born December 19, 1964) is an American screenwriter, director and cinematographer, best known for his involvement in the "Universal Soldier" series, for which he has directed two installments. Hyams is the son of director Peter Hyams. Hyams graduated from Syracuse University School of Visual and Performing Arts, becoming a noted painter and sculptor exhibiting and selling work in New York and Los Angeles. He became known in Hollywood in 1997 after writing, producing, and directing the critically acclaimed "One Dog Day." The film debuted at the Taos Talking Picture Film Festival. After that, Hyams directed several documentaries, most notably "The Smashing Machine" (2002), which follows the life of fighter Mark Kerr. Hyams also directed several episodes of ABC Television's "NYPD Blue." In 2009, Hyams directed the franchise reboot "Universal Soldier: Regeneration," with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren, which was shot mostly in Bulgaria on a budget of $9 million. In 2012, he wrote and directed the sequel "Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning," which also featured Van Damme and Lundgren. It was shot in 3D with a budget of $8 million. Hyams has since gone on to work in the horror genre, directing the films "Alone" (2020) and "Sick" (2022), the latter of which features a script by Kevin Williamson.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 19, 1964 (61)
From
United States of America
Works as
Director, editor, producer and writer
Titles
25 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 5% in 30 days

What are John Hyams' films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.

Genres

Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 26th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 52nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
36%
Morality
26%
Self
14%
Society
14%
Ideas
7%
Bonds
4%
Survival8 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 3 · Dark 7

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 9

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 5

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Dread
7
Thrilling
4
Melancholic
3
Contemplative
2
Other
8

How their films linger

Unsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet10
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch John Hyams' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 25 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Peacock (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for John Hyams' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

35 credits, 25 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • The Shepherd (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Director

  • The Smashing Machine(2025)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Teacup(2024)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows

  • The Recruit(2022)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Sick(2022)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Chucky(2021)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • Alone(2020)

    Director · Editor

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Black Summer(2019)

    Show 4 episodes · Director · Creator · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all shows

  • Roswell, New Mexico(2019)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Legacies(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Rookie(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • All Square(2018)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • 12 Deadly Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Skin Trade(2014)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Z Nation(2014)

    Show 5 episodes · Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • Chicago P.D.(2014)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Enemies Closer(2013)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Originals(2013)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Days of Reckoning: The Making of Universal Soldier 4 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Producer · as Self

  • Chicago Fire(2012)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning(2012)

    Director · Editor · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Dragon Eyes(2012)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Universal Soldier: Regeneration(2009)

    Director · Editor

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • The Ignorant Bliss of Sun and Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor

  • Beyond a Reasonable Doubt(2009)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Razzle Dazzle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Co-Producer

  • Bull Sessions: The Making of ‘Rank’ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director

  • Rank(2006)

    Director · Editor · Producer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • A Sound of Thunder(2005)

    as Delivery Man

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Fight Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director · Editor

  • The Smashing Machine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director · Co-Producer · Editor

  • One Dog Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • NYPD Blue(1993)

    Show 20 episodes · Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Narrow Margin(1990)

    Grip

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Double Blind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 34 titles, 32 of them dated from 1990 to 2024.

Biggest box office

The Smashing Machine (2025)

$21M worldwide

Highest rated

The Smashing Machine (2025)

Midcredits 62nd

Most popular right now

Roswell, New Mexico (2019)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 34: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting28 of 34: 17 only directing, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score55thWriting4 of 34: 1 only writing, 3 with another roleProducing6 of 34: 2 only producing, 4 with another roleCinematography1 of 34: 0 only cinematography, 1 with another roleEditing7 of 34: 1 only editing, 6 with another roleOther crew2 of 34: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

34 titles, 11 with more than one role — directing and editing overlap on 6 of them.

By decade

1990s3 · crew2000s7 · 1 acting · 6 crew2010s17 · crew2020s5 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do John Hyams' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 32nd percentile, the median of all 13; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 34th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

34thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 25 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 25 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · director

Roswell, New Mexico (2019)

75th percentile spread · 19% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

The Originals (2013)

Midcredits 96th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 61/100 and the pacing 50/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is John Hyams' work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles63–99 · median 76 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles9–61 · median 28 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles52–85 · median 74 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles31–61 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles56–86 · median 73 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does John Hyams work with?

People who share at least 2 of John Hyams' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Courtney Solomon shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles