Hard Rain (1998)

Director:

Mikael Salomon

Writer (WGA):

Graham Yost (written by)

Release Date:

16 January 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

In the worst storm in living memory, one guard stands between five men and three million dollars.

Plot:

Set during a massive flood started by a dam accident in a small town, Christian Slater is an armored truck guard who gets robbed by Morgan Freeman...

Plot Keywords:

Sheriff | Dam | Flood | Small Town | Church

Cast

Morgan Freeman	...	Jim
Christian Slater	...	Tom
Randy Quaid	...	Sheriff
Minnie Driver	...	Karen
Edward Asner	...	Uncle Charlie
Michael A. Goorjian	...	Kenny (as Michael Goorjian)
Dann Florek	...	Mr. Mehlor
Ricky Harris	...	Ray
Mark Rolston	...	Wayne Bryce
Peter Murnik	...	Phil
Wayne Duvall	...	Hank
Richard Dysart	...	Henry Sears
Betty White	...	Doreen Sears
Ray Baker	...	Mayor
Lisa Fuhrman	...	Mayor's Wife

Also Known As:

Flood (Japan: English title)
Pluie d'enfer (France)
The Flood (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence.

Runtime:

97 min | 92 min (Nordisk Film DVD version FI SE NO DE)

Country:

USA | UK | Denmark | France | Japan | New Zealand

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | USA:R (certificate #35478) | Netherlands:16 | Philippines:PG-13 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Finland:K-15 (VET id: 100718) | France:U | Germany:16 (w) | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

At the time it was filmed, the movie had the largest painted scenic backdrop ever used in a film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the armored car stalls, it is near the middle of a dip in the road. Later the water is chest deep next to the car, but when the robbers cross the water it never gets much deeper than waist depth. As the middle of the dip would be the lowest point, the water depth should have been much greater.

Quotes:

Officer: You took the money. Didn't you son?
Tom: Yeah I hid it in the cemetery.
Officer: Why you do that?
tom: I don't like to carry around that much cash, ya know?

Movie Connections:

References Swamp Thing (1982)

Soundtrack:

It Makes Me Lonely Blue Mountain Breakdown

Good action flick

Hard Rain is a nifty action thriller, set during the middle of a titanic flood in a small town in Indiana. Christian Slater plays a local security guard, attempting to transport the loot out of town with his partner, but as always, it all goes terribly wrong. On the run, from a band of determined thieves, led by Morgan Freeman Slater hides the money and takes refuge with the town sheriff and his band of officers. Only they're seeing green too and Slater is on his own.

The sodden atmosphere of this film is unique and impressive, as is the set design. The film is technically very cool, clever too and working with so much water must've been hell for the crew. The performances are all well rounded enough in Hard Rain but the script lacks the spark to truly make this great or memorable. Sure there are some exciting moments, but what action film doesn't have some excitement? With such a unique setting, I'm surprised that there just wasn't more of a good thing. Overall, I enjoyed it. This film is good action flick. Nothing more, nothing less.