Hard Rain is such a lame title for a surprisingly original and interesting movie. I mean, come on, hard rain must have been the first thing that they thought of. Might as well call it Chubby Rain and make Bowfinger come true. However, that’s just one minor complaint in this otherwise great movie. First of all, it still looks good and believable after 14 years, meaning that a relatively big budget really made a difference. This also means that we got some very good actors like Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater, with an excellent supporting cast.
The main thing about Hard Rain and the feature that makes it unique is the water. Lots and lots of water. This single idea of an almost sunken city combined with a heist plot and good directing created a very exciting and original thriller. It is very interesting to watch characters in a situation where the rule of law is somewhat suspended. Where it’s every man for himself and dead men tell no tales. With Morgan confidently leading and Slater opposing him with some fervor this is a heist movie with a twist. Moreover, it has a great replay value and I’m sure you’ll keep coming back to it. In the age of CGI and all the fakeness, it’s so refreshing to see an actual flood or a real set.
Tom and Charlie, driving an armored truck to a local bank could not have picked the worst time to do it. Mostly because there’s been an accident on a nearby dam, and the entire city is getting more flooded by the minute. Two of them must pick up the money from the bank and drive to safety. However, just as they thought they’re going to make all hell breaks lose.
Hard Rain is another example of a great nineties action movie with a twist. It has humor, action, explosions, and shootouts. The characters are relatively good, nothing to write home about but they do the job just fine. The atmosphere, however, is very lively and ominous. From the moment you find out that there might be a catastrophic flood happening, the clock is ticking. And you simply know that when it hits midnight it’s going to blow. I don’t know about you, but one of my worst nightmares involves huge amounts of water. Every time I see a big wave or something just a large body of water, I get this awkward feeling in my stomach. As you might have guessed the shooting of this movie was very difficult but I think all that hard work paid off.
Finally, if you’re looking for movies similar to Hard Rain, I recommend you check out our Subversive Rabbit selection of Heist Movies. Enjoy.
Director: Mikael Salomon
Writer: Graham Yost
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Randy Quaid, Minnie Driver, Edward Asner, Dann Florek
Fun Facts: At the time it was filmed, it had the largest painted scenic backdrop ever used in a film.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120696/
