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Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Randy Quaid, Minnie Driver, Edward Asner ... see more see more... , Richard Dysart , Betty White , Mark Rolston , Peter Murnik , Michael A. Goorjian , Dann Florek , Ricky Harris , Wayne Duvall

A natural disaster breeds man-made treachery in this suspense thriller. Severe flooding threatens an Indiana town after a massive rainstorm taxes dams to the breaking point. As part of an emergency ev... read more read more...acuation effort, armored car driver Tom (Christian Slater) and his uncle Charlie (Edward Asner) are recruited to collect cash from the town's banks and drive it to safety. However, a gang of thieves led by Jim (Morgan Freeman) plan to lay siege to the truck and steal the $3 million on board. After Jim attempts to ambush the truck, Tom hides the cash and reports the attempted theft to the local sheriff (Randy Quaid). However, the sheriff's lack of honesty soon becomes apparent; he puts Tom in a lockup and sets out to take the money for himself. As the flood waters rise, Tom has to escape from jail if he is to save both the townspeople's savings and his own life. Meanwhile, Jim and the sheriff are locked in a race to see who can find the $3 million first. Minnie Driver, Richard A. Dysart, and Betty White highlight Hard Rain's supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

36% liked it

36,587 ratings

Critics

25% liked it

32 critics

R, 1 hr. 36 min.

Directed by: Mikael Salomon

Release Date: June 1, 1997

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DVD Release Date: December 15, 1998

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Stats: 750 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (750)

  • ajv2688
    November 21, 2011
    ajv2688
    A great action and adventure movie with a bunch of great actors. This movie is an exciting natural disaster thriller, and if that intrigues you, you should see it.
  • garyX
    December 30, 2010
    garyX
    A guard from an armoured security van is stalked through a flooded town by a gang seeking to rob his $3 million payload. Hard Rain is nothing but a bare-boned, crowd-pleasing action film and never pretends to be anything else. It jumps straight in with the action and never looks ... read moreback, and the formula of western-on-boatback and likable performances from the above average cast made me warm to it from the outset. There is a smattering of funny lines amongst the amusing action sequences and it all seemed like a harmless bit of popcorn fuelled fun. Unfortunately, as the plot gets more and more preposterous it gets harder and harder to care and by the end I'd lost all interest. It's inoffensive in a no-brainer kind of way and there is the added novelty of seeing Morgan Freeman play a bad guy, but as a whole it's very forgettable. Wet but not very wild.
  • DrZeek
    February 26, 2010
    DrZeek
    Officer: You took the money. Didn't you son?
    Tom: Yeah I hid it in the cemetery.
    Officer: Why you do that?
    Tom: I don't like to carry around that much cash, ya know?

    A solid example of an average 90s action flick. Revisiting this film over ten years later, its neat to watch thi... read mores and reflect on the reasons why this film works for what it tries to do. There is a unique setting at play, R-rated violence, and some creative action sequences that make this an entertaining flick.

    Christian Slater stars as Tom, an armored truck driver, taking $3 million in cash out of town with his partner/uncle Charlie, played by Ed Asner. The town just so happens to be experiencing a giant flood, causing the town to be evacuated, with the local sheriff, played by Randy Quaid, and his men making sure everything is secure. As Tom and Charlie make their way out of town, the truck gets stuck. Soon, help arrives in the form of a group of crooks, headed by Morgan Freeman, who have planned to steal the money from the truck. A brief misunderstanding results in a shootout, with Charlie killed and Tom on the run with the money. He manages to hide the cash, but the crooks are still on his tail. As Tom eventually makes it to the police to explain his story, Tom may find that the power of greed can make many more become his enemy.

    From the writer of Speed, this film doesn't aspire to be anything monumental, but it does do a number of things to switch up the standard plot reveals. There are some character team ups that are quite enjoyable, making the film that much more interesting and entertaining.

    The other thing to take away from this film is that it must have certainly been expensive. I say this because the constant rain and use of water to create new situations for the characters to deal with is certainly on display here and makes for a good way to keep things moving.

    Add to all this a reliable Morgan Freeman to lend some credence to the proceedings and you have all the makings of a solid action flick.

    Its not genius film making, but its the kind of 90s staple that makes for a good viewing.

    Jim: Look, I've had a long, frustrating night. Now maybe I get the money, maybe I don't, but I'm getting to the point where I just don't care.
  • SirPant
    September 25, 2009
    SirPant
    A lot of wet fun. Not in a rude way though!
  • stormyweather980
    August 15, 2009
    stormyweather980
    Hard Rain might have a twisted plot, pitting an armored truck guard against some robbers who are trying to steal 3 million dollars, but that doesn't really make it a bad movie. All the while, they're surrounded by a massive flood as their main obstacle. Hard Rain has some of the ... read morebest actors such as Morgan Freeman and Randy Quaid playing the leading roles and they all do great jobs. Hard Rain also has some good action sequences and a lot of suspense throughout the film. It's like a wet and wild goosechase with everybody trying to catch Christian Slater in order to get the money. The special effects with all the water and rain couldn't have been done much better. Hard Rain is just another usual action movie until Morgan Freeman joins Christian Slater and they both team up and try to survive against the other robbers. That's when this movie gets a lot better with all the suspense and action.
    If you like good action movies with some suspense added in, you will probably like Hard Rain. The only drawback is the twisted plot, sometimes you might wonder what the movie is really about. But watch it and you'll figure it out without a problem. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. I think I may like this movie now more than I did then, which it's usually the opposite. An underrated great.
  • thmtsang
    December 21, 2008
    thmtsang
    Good cast. Movie about an armoured truck being robbed during a flood.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    October 19, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Here's a movie lesson: before filling an entire set with water to shoot a film, first try to actually think a bit about the plot of said film
  • sanjurosamurai
    December 2, 2007
    sanjurosamurai
    i really enjoyed this movie. the jet ski scene in the halls of the school was over the top but creative and entertaining. worth a watch.
  • jabcdef
    November 26, 2007
    jabcdef
    Refreshing action drama with an all star cast.
  • 76Majikat
    October 8, 2007
    76Majikat
    One of the most monotenous films ever made. It was certainly action packed, but it just went on and on doing the same thing over and over again.

    One for the 'awful films' list.

View All Hard Rain Reviews

Critic Reviews

Brian Orndorf
February 11, 2010
Brian Orndorf, DVDTalk.com

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 immacula... Full Review

Moriarty
June 25, 2005
Moriarty, Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews

Overall, HARD RAIN is the kind of film that most people will see, enjoy, and forget five minutes later... entirely adequate. Full Review

Gerry Shamray
February 7, 2003
Gerry Shamray, Sun Newspapers of Cleveland

Great opening shot that leads to an action flick that's all wet.

Forrest Hartman
October 11, 2002
Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal

A surprisingly enjoyable thriller.

Staci Layne Wilson
August 9, 2002
Staci Layne Wilson, Fantastica Daily

Yes, even the great Morgan Freeman is fallable.

James Sanford
January 1, 2000
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette

although the title was changed from 'The Flood' to 'Hard Rain' - supposedly to more accurately reflect the film's content, if you can believe that - a better choice might have been 'Total Washout.' Full Review

Michael Dequina
January 1, 2000
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

I cannot help but think that maybe the film would have been better off being either a disaster film or an action film instead of the uneven blend that plays out onscreen. Full Review

Harry Haun
January 1, 2000
Harry Haun, Film Journal International

Goes down like a rock--only slowly. Full Review

Steve Rhodes
January 1, 2000
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews

Graham Yost's script serves up one cliche after another for the actors, who thankfully managed to mumble quite a few of the lines. Full Review

Elias Savada
January 1, 2000
Elias Savada, Nitrate Online

If you were Noah, you'd probably want to sink the ark before you'd care to spend time wading through this waterlogged effort. Full Review

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