3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Half-Baked, February 10, 2003
This review is from: Hard Cash (DVD)
Christian Slater reunited with Val Kilmer reminds us of the high tension action flick "True Romance." But no more is seen the burning power generated by the Tarantino-scripted film; instead, in "Hard Cash" you only see a banal B-action flick with wasted opportunities for any of those involved.
The story is rather simple: master thief Slater and his cohorts attempt to do their final job as Kubrick's "The Killing," but realize that the money they get are all marked by FBI. They have to wait another day for money laundering, but while waiting, crooked agent Val Kilmer steps in, to extort money from them.
As the mildly interesting opening of the film shows, "Hard Cash" has slightly comical flavor, not taking itself so seriously. OK, but with what little humor in there soon gone away, the film goes on and on without much to boast of. Though the heist scenes are shot competently, the suspense comes very few between the acts, so even its 90 minutes running time looks very tedious. And obligatory explosions and car chase are, to be honest, very cheap.
The leading players, including Slater, Kilmer, and Daryl Hannah might not impress you, but the supporting cast are interesting -- see, for example, Balthazar Getty ("Lost Highway"), Bokeem Woodbine ("3000 Miles to Graceland"), Sara Downing (TV's "Roswell"), William Forsythe ("The Rock"), and Verne Troyer (Mini-Me of "Austin Powers" sequels). But they have no moment to really show something they can, possibly except for Troyer's "contigency plan" and even he, or always reliable Getty or Forsythe cannot save the show. So, what can you expect from the leads, who plays the characters we don't care much?
Even Kilmer's and Slater's fans would be dismayed with their "acting," because they don't show any. Those who like them should wait for a Lenny Harlin film "Mindhunters" where they are sure to live up with our expectations.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Inconceivable, June 20, 2002
This review is from: Hard Cash (DVD)
How did the production company manage to land two of the best actor's in recent cinema history? Not to mention, Darryl Hannah, Bokeem Woodbine, and Balthazar Getty. The script was dull, the plot was unoriginal, and the production quality was very low-budget. The only reason I gave it two stars was Val Kilmer's portrayal of a very eccentric character which was marginally entertaining. Don't buy this movie, don't rent this movie, don't ever watch this movie. Trust me, you don't want to equate this movie to Val Kilmer's or Christian Slater's acting careers.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Time to make the donuts, July 11, 2004
This review is from: Hard Cash (DVD)
Thieves steal $2 million of marked money and become involved with crooked FBI agent Val Kilmer. Cristian Slater plays chief thief who must foil Kilmer's plans and save his daughter.
HARD CASH is pretty dreadful. How dreadful? It was originally released as RUN FOR THE MONEY. Films don't change their titles for nothing.
The acting is okay, but there are a half-dozen or so too many why-are-we-doing-this scenes. The usually reliable Val Kilmer walks through the movie with a dazed and confused expression on his face. Slater is a little bit more on top of things, but he's saddled with a wise beyond her years daughter who doubles as a card sharp and is forced to read lines like "I just can't live like this anymore." Not your typical eight-year-old declaration.
Granted, not many movies have dart gun toting midgets crawling out of toilets, but that happens before the opening credits are run. After that it's all downhill. Pass this one by.
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