ivo-cobra8
Disclaimer: If you are a viewer that mainly prefers art-house-type movies, then you might as well ignore this review. In addition, if you're not able to take a an underrated incredible Christian Slater's solid action heist classic flick, ignore this review, as well. We'll both be better off.Hard Rain (1998) is a classic! An underrated incredible disaster action heist film from the 90's and one of the best Christian Slater's movies. My top 2 Christian Slater movies are Broken Arrow (1996) and this one Hard Rain (1998), which Christian Slater started and co produced him self. I love this flick and it is my favorite action flick! It is far way better than Stallone's Daylight (1996) which that disaster movie sucked and I hate it! Hard Rain is an pure action heist flick in which a gang of thieves try's to rob an armored car in which are $3.000.000 cared in the truck. An armored car driver Tom (Christian Slater) has to run for his life and hide the money from the thieves, because they killed his partner who was also his uncle and now they will kill him too, if he doesn't hide the money. The movie has a great cast, great score, decent performances and all round very entertaining. I love the score from Christopher Young in the opening scene the main theme. I love that the film shows flood and rain's and it is also entertaining filled with action. I think Hard Rain and Deep Rising which both come out the same year are both underrated action flicks that I love them.Plot: The setting is the food-ravaged, evacuated town of Huntingburg, where armored car driver Tom (Slater) is in deep danger. A gang of thieves (led by Freeman) figures the flood is its chance to heist the $3 million Tom's transporting from local banks. But there's one thing the gun-carrying criminals don't count on - Tom. Come hell, high water or both, he's determined to deliver the money entrusted to him. But before he does, he'll have to survive a relentless pursuit filled with close calls, ever-rising waters, uncertain loyalties and heart-stopping heroics.Get swept up in the action as Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Randy Quaid and Minnie Driver race against time and the elements in this high-energy thrill ride where survival and money are the core of it all. I love Christian slater in this movie and I seriously love his character Tom, just like his character Capt. Riley Hale from Broken Arrow, his character Tom is also heroic character well written. He wasn't selfish he was a real hero alongside with John McClane (Bruce Willis) Die Hard (1988) they are both a heroic characters. I love how Tom tried to help that young boy Kenny ( Michael A. Goorjian) from been electrocuted in the water, he came back for Karen (Minnie Driver) when she was handcuffed in the fence, up in the stairs, his character was decent and honest human been and he tried to return the money. I love the chase sequences in a high school in a jet skies. I like Minnie Driver as Karen her character also wasn't selfish she also helped Tom and saved him from prison. I seriously love the scene when Tom tried to saves him self in the prison when the flood raised and he accidentally grabbed the car keys and not the cell keys and his was talking with him self ha ha.I love Morgan Freeman in this film which he was a good thieve, but he was also greedy, "Damn it I'm here for the money and that's it!" Randy Quaid was a decent villain as the greedy Sheriff Mike Collins, which he was outstanding in this flick. Director Mikael Solomon did a great directing job directing this disaster action flick. Even tough this film is a cheap because there was less actors playing in this film, it still outstanding and pure entertaining. I love it I just watched it on Blu-ray and I love it to death. This movie is actually pretty entertaining with some decent chase scenes even one involving jet skis inside a flooded high school. Morgan Freeman is good as always and one of the few bad guy/good guy roles he's had in his career. Christian Slater was decent as the main protagonist even is he was a bit generic.Very good 90's action flick that is essentially a western set in a flooded small town. There's something really cool about a movie taking place entirely in one night in the rain and the script has some terrific one liners and the cast are all excellent especially Morgan Freeman playing a bad ass thief & Randy Quaid.Overall: This flick is very underrated and for Christian Slater fan I must say, it is my favorite action flick, there are other movies he made but this one alongside with Broken Arrow is one of his best work. I love this action flick.Hard Rain (also known as The Flood) is a 1998 American/British disaster action thriller film, produced by Mark Gordon, written by Graham Yost (the writer-producer team also behind the film Speed) and directed by former cinematographer turned director Mikael Salomon.10/10 Grade: Bad Ass Seal Of Approval Studio: Paramount Pictures, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Starring: Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Randy Quaid, Minnie Driver, Edward Asner, Michael Goorjian, Dann Florek, Ricky Harris, Mark Rolston, Peter Murnik, Wayne Duvall, Richard Dysart, Betty White, Ray Baker Director: Mikael Salomon Producers: Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, Art Levinson, Allison Lyon Segan, Christian Slater Screenplay: Graham Yost Rated: PG-13 Running Time: 1 Hr. 37 Mins. Budget: $70.000.000 Box Office: $19,870,567
Claudio Carvalho
In Huntingburg, the armored truck with three million dollars driven by Tom (Christian Slater) and his Uncle Charlie (Edward Asner) gets stuck in the flooding and realizes that the town has been evacuated since the dam does not have capacity to hold the storm. While waiting for the National Guard, they are attacked by Jim (Morgan Freeman) and his gang formed by Kenny (Michael Goorjian), Mr. Mehlor (Dann Florek) and Ray (Ricky Harris) and the clumsy Kenny kills Charlie. Tom flees with the bags of money and hides them in the cemetery. Then he is hunted down by Jim and his gang and he hides in a church. Out of the blue, he is knocked out and awakes locked in a cell. Soon he learns that the restorer Karen (Minnie Driver) believed he was a looter and hit him. Sheriff Mike Collins (Randy Quaid) and Deputy Wayne Bryce (Mark Rolston) go to investigate Tom' story while Officer Phil (Peter Murnik) takes Karen out of the town by boat. However she escapes with the boat and goes to the church. Meanwhile Tom is trapped in the cell full of water and Karen rescues him. He decides to return to the armored truck to retrieve a shotgun but he is captured by Jim and his men and learns that Charlie was part of the gang. He tries to retrieve the hidden money for the gang, but Sheriff Collins and his men have already taken it. Soon Tom learns that the Sheriff wants to keep the money for him and his men and Tom and Karen are witnesses and he teams up with Jim. "Hard Rain" is a combination of disaster genre with crime and action. Despite the negative reviews, the action scenes are spectacular, the cast is excellent and the plot has a great twist based on the ancient proverb "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Tempestade" ("Storm")
Python Hyena
Hard Rain (1998): Dir: Mikael Solomon / Cast: Christian Slater, Morgan Freeman, Minnie Driver, Randy Quaid, Betty White: Standard action disaster film that uses its flood to complicate another conflict. A truck load of money becomes stranded in a flood and villains shoot the driver but Christian Slater escapes with the money. After hiding the loot he is pursued by the villains in speedboats. Director Mikael Solomon makes great explosive action but he isn't so lucky on the screenplay end. The actors are as stranded as the civilians. Slater does his best dodging bullets and speedboats and anything else thrown at him while struggling to stay afloat. Morgan Freeman is miscast as the villain, and since he is such a likable actor we are given a conscience. Minnie Driver plays a cop who at one point is handcuffed to a railing as water rises. Randy Quaid does what he can as the cardboard Sheriff. Even Betty White appears in this waterlogged fiasco and cannot even bring comic relief. These are decent performers at the mercy of a screenplay that does little more than drown those who do not find higher ground. Pointless disaster film that attempts to combined an action film as well but it comes off like one of those alcoholic beverages that spews upward before it hits the back of your throat. Hard Rain is plainly hard to believe. Perhaps flushing it down a toilet will render a better effect. Score: 2 / 10
wes-connors
In rain-drenched Huntingburg, Indiana, "Armored Transport" guard Christian Slater (as Tom) loads over $3 million dollars in his truck. While trying to transport the money out of town during a particularly wicked storm, Mr. Slater's truck gets stuck in rising rain waters. This makes the money an easy target for crooked Morgan Freeman (as Jim) and his gang; they move to rob the truck, but Slater escapes with the cash. Slater stashes the money and is picked up by sheriff Randy Quaid (as Mike) and his deputies. Everyone wants the money, but the entire town is flooding fast..."Hard Rain" is presented by the successful "Speed" driven (1994) team of Mark Gordon and Graham Yost, and it features even more of the same non-stop high energy. Mikael Salomon makes the action look good. Characterization is secondary. You don't care about the leading men (and woman) - although, there must be some points given to Slater trying to escape from a jail cell while flood waters rise, and love interest Minnie Driver (as Karen) suffering through an attempted rape by "Penthouse" forum reader Mark Rolston (as Wayne) while she is handcuffed to a banister...Otherwise, the only thing noteworthy about the bigger cast names is their various levels of profanity. As you might expect, Betty White (as Doreen) comes out swinging, but Mr. Quaid finishes strong. Unfortunately, Ms. White and Edward "Ed" Asner (as Charlie) share no scenes; it would have been nice to see the two "Mary Tyler Moore" alumni together. More impressive are the lesser-known players, like trigger-happy Michael Goorjian (as Kenny) and distinctly featured Peter Murnik (as Phil). Action is more exciting when accompanied by strong characterization.***** Hard Rain (1/16/98) Mikael Salomon ~ Christian Slater, Morgan Freeman, Minnie Driver, Randy Quaid
