HARD RAIN (1998)
On weekends I would often stay overnight at my grandparents’ house with my cousins, because my grandparents were cool and had video game consoles. They also let us stay up until daylight and didn't monitor what movies we rented. My older cousin would take us to the VHS rental section of our local gas station. It was the only place in that town of population 900 to rent videos, and our choices were limited to 4 racks. Nonetheless, we were never starved of good movies. In my older teen cousin, we trusted, and this was one he picked for us. One of those weekends decades ago was the first time I saw HARD RAIN (1998). All I remembered of it was that it was a fun movie, and Christian Slater was very wet. Revisiting it as an adult, I realize what a fantastic feast for the eyes and underrated thriller of a film we were given.
If you grew up at all in the 1980s or ‘90s and loved movies, there was a 100 in 100 chance that you also had affection for Christian Slater. From teen idol to charming dad, to low key action star to neurodivergent king, he has always found a place in film. He is always working and present everywhere in film, television, theater, and voice acting. He can currently be seen in the Oscar-nominated film IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU as Charlie. And, while I am pleased that he is so versatile and ever present, I mourn the witty, down to Earth, charismatic, and relatable action hero career that Slater could have had if HARD RAIN had done as well at the box office as it deserved. Unfortunately, poor timing, a notable bad review from Siskel and Ebert, and being drowned out by similar movies, scared many away from the theater. To this day, HARD RAIN is one of my favorite Christian Slater movies, and the dam breaking that I'm willing to get swept away defending.
HARD RAIN is a disaster heist movie set in Huntingburg, Indiana. It has a cast rich in experience and presence. Morgan Freeman, Ed Asner, Betty White, Minnie Driver, Randy Quaid, and Dann Florek all join Christian Slater in this film about an armored truck that gets robbed during a massive flood, and a cat and mouse thriller ensues. Morgan Freeman plays against his type and is an empathetic villain. Slater is our every man hero, and he pairs really well with Minnie Driver as a Midwest girl that can hold her own. It was originally set to be directed by John Woo but then picked up by Mikael Salomon. It is a tragedy that people don't talk about this movie as a beautiful masterpiece of special effects. As a Midwesterner that neighbors the Mississippi River, this film is a nightmare come true. It is also pretty ballsy to throw a heist story on top of this disaster plot, and damn if it isn't the wildest ride.
One of the arguments against this film is that it is unbelievable. An argument which I have to scoff at, because when any intentionally over the top action movie is done well, that's not a complaint. That's a sale. If you can't enjoy a chase scene on jet skis through a high school, and a boat chase/fire siege in a flooded gorgeous church, then you must not have any sense of fun. The pacing is well done with this movie never feeling boring or unnecessary. All of the characters, even the minor bad guys are given some level of emotional depth and complexity in this tight hour and thirty-six-minute film. Morgan Freeman is so compelling as the big bad that it makes me wish he took that role more often. The tension is so excruciating that even though I knew our hero had to live somehow, I was still yelling at the screen with anxiety wondering how in the hell does he get out of this!
The score by Christopher Young is solid. It is set alongside some magnificent cinematography by Peter Menzies, Jr., like Freeman’s character stoic in the shadows on the hunt, the church's stained glass being destroyed by the corruption of justice, the rising water levels with the town center's statue giving us a sense of urgency, and overall it is shot in a way that makes the water feel incredibly oppressive and uncomfortable.
Christian Slater is so tremendously good at being believable both as a guy you know, but also capable of some serious action hero nonsense. He's funny, sincere, capable, and attractive all in a way that doesn't feel like a joke of machismo or hyperbole. Though he did go on to do many more low-key action roles in movies during the 2000s, I wish that he were given the opportunity to carry bigger action films. To me, there has always been a gap when it comes to action leading men who are relatable. Between the martial art kings, and jacked Arnold Schwarzeneggers, we needed and still need more Christian Slaters: The boy next door who can and will save the day.
This movie also has more heart below the surface than people give it credit for. This big disaster heist blockbuster, is at its core, a story about unfulfilled and angry ordinary people struggling in small, sleepy towns that are supposedly wholesome and idyllic. It's not a question of if greed is right or wrong. We all know that it is wrong. This explores the question that at what point, if ever is it justified. The scene where Freeman's character grills Slater's character about dreaming of wealth is all too relatable. HARD RAIN gave us its all. Among action movies, it holds its own. It's epic, bombastic, entertaining, sincere, and has some heart, especially the subplot with Betty White that almost steals the show!
Unfortunately, it was released just two weeks before DEEP RISING, another water adventure movie, and in the same year that you have blockbusters like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Had this film been released maybe the year before or after, it may have seen the box office success it deserved. I am grateful it did not end Christian Slater's career, but I daydream about the alternative reality that it met with great success and turned him into an iconic action star.
HARD RAIN is super fun. It is a showcase of special effects, acting, pacing, and is a top tier heist movie that is sadly left out of conversation, because it's not in an urban setting. Don't just add this to your watchlist, add it to your Blu-ray collection.
