Hard Rain (15)

Directed by Mikael Salomon
Starring Christian Slater, Morgan Freeman, Minnie Driver, Randy Quaid

Formulaic action movie with the ever dull Christian Slater as a security guard whose money collection truck gets caught in floods near a small town. Freeman plays the leader of the bunch of would be robbers. Slater escapes from them with all the money which he hides. Cue lots of water chases as the local sheriff Quaid gets involved. Minnie Driver is the token female who also stays behind in the rapidly rising flood to protect a church she is resoring. Fairly predictable plot twists ensue as it becomes a chase for the money while the flood water gets higher and higher.
The flood effects are good- that is really the hook for this film. I bet there was a lot of sloshing around during filming. The movie is brisk and entertaining enough. Slater has managed an entire film career on one decent performance - as the Jack Nicholson type bad boy in Heathers. Since then he is better known for his real life bad boy antics, as he is another of Hollywoods jailbirds who bought himself a cushy cell. He was also involved as an executive producer on this film- one way to get leading roles. Morgan Freeman in one of the best screen actors around, but he flounders here in a curious role as a not-all-bad bank robber. Minnie Driver is another talented actor, but both of these two should have swum away from this script. Randy Quaid plays his usual simmering nutter, and there is a nice little role for ex- Golden Girl Betty White as the nagging wife from hell.
Overall, a competantly made film, but the action is not all that spectacular, the script rubbish, and the plot predictable. 5/10

April 1998


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