Hard Rain (1997)
46%RT Audience Score: 34%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Hard Rain is an implausible heist movie soaked in disaster movie trappings
Hard Rain is like a bad storm that just won’t let up. The plot is as predictable as the rain in Seattle, but the action scenes are so over-the-top that you can’t help but laugh. The cast is a mixed bag, with some actors giving it their all and others just phoning it in. But the real star of the movie is the flood, which is so impressive that you almost forget how silly everything else is. If you’re looking for a mindless action flick to watch on a rainy day, Hard Rain might just be the ticket. Just don’t expect to remember much about it once the sun comes out.
Production Company(ies)
K T F Films,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Huntingburg, Indiana, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence
Year of Release
1998
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 36m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 16, 1998 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 18, 2008
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
Hard Rain, R, Action, 1h 36m, Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Randy Quaid, Minnie Driver, Ed Asner, Richard Dysart, directed by Mikael Salomon, written by Graham Yost, produced by Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, Art Levinson, box office gross $19.9M, reviewed by Mike Clark, Todd McCarthy, Derek Adams, Lawrence Van Gelder, Kevin Thomas, James Berardinelli, Mike Massie, Richard Propes, Dennis Schwartz, Brian Orndorf, Jon Popick, genre, Paramount Pictures, Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Digital, Scope (2.35:1), armored car, heist, flood, sheriff, looting, petty thefts, $3 million, security guards, torrential rains, small town, evacuation, implausible, disaster movie trappings, Mississippi, criminals, delivery, cash, action scenes, ultimate disaster movies, twist, natural disaster thriller, minor holes in the plot, exciting, adventure movie, great actors, top horror movies to watch now, RT Podcasts, most anticipated movies, most anticipated TV & streaming, all MCU movies ranked by Tomatometer, renewed & cancelled TV shows 2022, best 2022 horror movies ranked by Tomatometer, TV premiere dates 2022, worst horror movies of all time, best Netflix series & shows
Worldwide gross: $19,870,567
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $36,465,292
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,477
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,976,586
US/Canada gross: $19,870,567
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $36,465,292
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,202
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,009,024
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $14,697,688
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 800
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $70,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $128,459,870
Production budget ranking: 280
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $69,175,640
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$161,170,218
ROI to date (est.): -82%
ROI ranking: 1,895
Christian Slater – Tom
Randy Quaid – Sheriff
Minnie Driver – Karen
Ed Asner – Uncle Charlie
Richard Dysart – Henry Sears
Director(s)
Mikael Salomon
Writer(s)
Graham Yost
Producer(s)
Ian Bryce, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, Art Levinson
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (45) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (31)
Hard Rain is pure water torture.
January 9, 2018 | Rating: 1.5/4
Mike Clark
USA Today
TOP CRITIC
Virtually nothing that takes place here is believable for a moment, beginning with the idea that all these people would expend all their energies trying to shoot one another when they are so imperiled to begin with.
July 17, 2009
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Hard Rain may not be the most inventive of thriller plots, essentially boiling down to an extended chase with all concerned after the moneybags, but it’s extremely impressive as a physical production.
June 24, 2006
Derek Adams
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
For all the talent and effort involved, ”Hard Rain” turns out to be routine entertainment.
May 20, 2003
Lawrence Van Gelder
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Asner, the film’s strongest presence, exits early.
February 14, 2001
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 1.5/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
A sharply photographed, sparkling little thriller, full of appropriate slow-motion, exciting confrontations in unique settings, and a rip-roaring climax.
January 2, 2022 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
In terms of pure visuals, I loved this film.
September 10, 2020 | Rating: 3.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
It impresses because of the way it makes the flood look so vital to the narrative.
April 14, 2016 | Rating: C+
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
It’s big, dumb, noisy, and teeming with idiotic dialogue, yet the finished feature has a certain merry swagger about it that keeps everything motoring right along, and the hook of the film is immaculately presented.
February 11, 2010 | Rating: B-
Brian Orndorf
DVDTalk.com
You know you’re in trouble when Betty White (denture wearer…Rogaine needer) is the big scene-stealer.
January 7, 2009
Jon Popick
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Overall, HARD RAIN is the kind of film that most people will see, enjoy, and forget five minutes later… entirely adequate.
June 25, 2005
Moriarty
Ain’t It Cool Movie Reviews…
Plot
In the small town of Huntingburg, the armored truck with three million dollars driven by Tom and his Uncle Charlie gets stuck in the flooding. They realize 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 and his gang formed by Kenny, Mr. Mehlor and Ray 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 believed he was a looter and hit him. Sheriff Mike Collins and Deputy Wayne Bryce go to investigate Tom’ story while Officer Phil 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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Morgan Freeman plays the main villain in Hard Rain, a departure from his usual heroic roles.
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