Hard Rain [Blu-ray]

Hasn't stopped raining for days
Shot as 'The Flood' in 1996, re-shot as 'Hard Rain' in 1997, and released into cinemas with virtually no publicity in 1998 it's a shame that this film sank with out a trace (pun intended). But you have to wonder why the studio abandoned it when it took investment from multiple backers to keep the production afloat (pun intended again).

I recall seeing publicity shots in 1997 for scenes (and characters) that aren't even in the movie. I guess we'll never know what Graham Yost's script was originally about. Paramount figured that the public had had enough of disaster movies and re-tooled 'The Flood' as a heist flick midway through filming. I can't say if it's for better or worse, but Hard Rain is still an exciting action ride.

Yes, the characterization is thin, but it avoids the cliche of making them all annoying as a quick way of defining them (something Twister, Volcano, and Dante's Peak were guilty of). The stragglers caught in the deluge as Huntingburg, Indiana...

SOGGY BUT FUN
HARD RAIN is enough to make you never want to see it rain again. Filmed entirely during the horrific storm and with the threatening collapse of the local dam, this movie requires some squinting of the eyes just to tell who's who. Director Mikael Solomon keeps things moving, and if the whole plot wasn't so darn preposterous and absurd, this could have been a classic. There are some great chase scenes, double crosses, etc., etc. It's just not very believable.

Christian Slater's laconic performance is reminiscent of a young Jack Nicholson, but he seems awkward and clumsy as an action hero (ditto BROKEN ARROW), but he's pleasant. Morgan Freeman reprises his bad guy role from CHAIN REACTION and the future NURSE BETTY with his usual grace and precision. Morgan's probably never given a bad performance. Randy Quaid is grim and vile as the sheriff gone bad, and Betty White/Richard Dysart provide some fun comic relief as an elderly couple who refuse to leave town. (Wonder...

Fun action flick
Yup - the plot does stretch your ability to suspend disbelief, but it stops short of actually asking you to hang it by the neck until it's dead - the story is unlikely, but there are no obvious plot holes to disrupt the fun.

Morgan Freeman dishes up his usual excellence in this role - a crook looking for a retirement fund, with a typical crew to help - a screwup 20s rowdy, an unemployed high school science teacher, and a scripture-quoting pro.

Christian Slater is, well, Christian Slater - I've been a fan for years, and this is yet another appearance of the wisecracking, intrepid guy that Mr. Slater plays so often. It'd get repititious if it weren't so much fun. He's at the end of a "clean out the banks before they're flooded" run, with $3 million in the truck when it's stuck in a deep spot in the ever-present water.

Minnie Driver does a fine, if understated, job as the woman who stayed in town too long, preparing a church she's been restoring to...

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