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{{Infobox film
| name = Hard Rain
| image = Hard rain ver3.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Mikael Salomon]]
| producer = {{plainlist|
* [[Ian Bryce]]
* [[Mark Gordon (film)|Mark Gordon]]
* [[Gary Levinsohn]]
}}
| writer = [[Graham Yost]]
| starring = {{plainlist|
* [[Morgan Freeman]]
* [[Christian Slater]]
* [[Randy Quaid]]
* [[Minnie Driver]]
* [[Ed Asner]]
* [[Richard Dysart]]
* [[Betty White]]
}}
| music = [[Christopher Young]]
| cinematography = [[Peter Menzies Jr.]]
| editing = {{plainlist|
* Amnon David
* [[Paul Hirsch (film editor)|Paul Hirsch]]
* Gillian L. Hutshing
}}
| studio = {{plainlist|
* [[Mutual Film Company]]
* [[PolyGram Filmed Entertainment]]
* [[Marubeni]]
* [[Toho|Toho-Towa]]
* [[Leonine Holding|Tele-München]]
* [[BBC Film|BBC]]
* [[UGC (cinema operator)|UGC-PH]]
* [[Nordisk Film]]
}}
| distributor = {{Plainlist|
* [[Paramount Pictures]] (United States)
* Nordisk Film Biografdistribution (Denmark)<ref>{{cite web|title=Hard Rain (1998)|website=[[Danish Film Institute]]|access-date=July 26, 2021|url=https://www.dfi.dk/en/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/film/hard-rain}}</ref>
* PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia)<ref name="bbfc.co.uk" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Hard Rain (35mm)|website=[[Australian Classification Board]]|date=August 30, 2019|access-date=24 September 2021|url=https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/hard-rain-1}}</ref>
* Concorde Filmverleih (Germany)<ref>{{cite web|title=Hard Rain|website=[[filmportal.de]]|access-date=July 24, 2021|url=https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/hard-rain_ea43d4a720525006e03053d50b37753d}}</ref>
}}
| released = {{film date|1998|01|16|United States|1998|04|03|United Kingdom|1998|04|06|Germany|1998|05|29|Denmark|1998|09|05|Japan}}
| runtime = 96 minutes<ref name="bbfc.co.uk">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/hard-rain-1998-2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412143846/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/hard-rain-1998-2 |archive-date=April 12, 2017 |title=HARD RAIN {{!}} British Board of Film Classification}}</ref>
| country = {{plainlist|
* United States<ref name=afi>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60830-HARD-RAIN?sid=90896ec0-06ef-4ec2-b515-8080bf157ccb&sr=11.299354&cp=1&pos=0|title=Hard Rain|website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]|access-date=June 1, 2016}}</ref>
* Denmark<ref name=afi />
* United Kingdom<ref name=afi />
* Germany<ref name=afi />
* Japan<ref name=afi />
}}
| language = English
| budget = $70 million<ref name="mojo">{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hardrain.htm|title=Hard Rain|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=June 1, 2016}}</ref>
| gross = $19.9 million (US)<ref name="mojo" />
}}

'''''Hard Rain''''' is a 1998 [[disaster film|disaster]] [[heist film|heist]] [[action thriller film]] directed by former [[director of photography|cinematographer]]-turned director [[Mikael Salomon]], written by [[Graham Yost]], produced by [[Ian Bryce]], [[Mark Gordon (film)|Mark Gordon]], and [[Gary Levinsohn]], and starring [[Morgan Freeman]], [[Christian Slater]], [[Randy Quaid]], [[Minnie Driver]], and [[Ed Asner]]. An international co-production among the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, and Japan, the plot centers around a heist and man-made treachery amidst a [[natural disaster]] in a small [[Indiana]] town.

== Plot ==
During a heavy [[rainstorm]], Tom and his uncle Charlie, two [[armored truck]] drivers, are collecting money from banks in the town of [[Huntingburg, Indiana]], which has been [[emergency evacuation|evacuated]] due to flooding. They are ambushed by Jim and his gang of armed robbers, Kenny, Mr. Mehlor, and Ray. Charlie calls the [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]] and is shot dead by Kenny as Tom escapes and hides the cash in a cemetery.

The gang chases Tom, who takes refuge in a nearby church. There he is mistaken for a looter by Karen who knocks him out. Tom wakes up in a cell and tells Sheriff Mike Collig about the gang and the money. Mike and Chief Deputy Wayne Bryce leave him locked up and investigate, whilst Deputy Phil is ordered to take Karen out of town. Karen pushes Phil out of the boat to return to protect the church, which she is restoring.

The town's [[dam]] operator Hank is forced to open a [[spillway]], causing a large wave and deeper flooding. Tom is trapped in his cell as the water rises. After protecting the church, Karen rescues him and they hide from the gang. Kenny is electrocuted. They enter a house and are mistaken for looters by the elderly residents Doreen and Henry Sears, who have refused to evacuate and are protecting their property. Henry is persuaded to give Tom their boat to return to the armored truck. Resurfacing from the submerged truck, he finds the gang holding the elderly couple hostage. Tom says he will tell them where the money is.

Jim reveals to Tom that the latter's uncle Charlie was in cahoots with the gang, and did not actually call the National Guard; he was only killed because Kenny was not told Charlie was on their side. Tom finds the money has disappeared. They are ambushed by Mike and his deputies plus Hank, who have found Karen and intend to keep the money for themselves.

Mr. Mehlor and Ray are killed in the shootout, and Jim and Tom escape and hide in the church. Wayne takes Karen to her house intending to [[rape]] her. The others [[gasoline]]-bomb the church and drive their boats through the [[stained glass]] windows. Karen stabs and kills Wayne. Hank shoots Phil for not shooting Tom when he had the chance.

The dam overtop alarm sounds. Mike suggests Tom and Jim should let Hank and him go with a couple of the bags of money. Tom agrees, but Jim does not. Tom leaves to try to save Karen, before Mike shoots Jim with a revolver he was hiding, although Jim isn't badly hurt. Mike and Hank escape in a boat; Hank is then pushed out by the sheriff and is killed in a gas explosion.

Tom finds Karen handcuffed to a banister. He frees her and they climb to the roof to avoid the water where they are caught by Mike. Jim comes from behind them in a boat. Mike shoots at him, disabling the steering, forcing him to go over the roof. As he does so, the engine breaks off and collides with the sheriff, knocking him into the water. Mike tries to shoot Karen as he grabs a bag of money, but Tom and Jim shoot the corrupt sheriff dead. Tom tells Jim he should leave, just as the [[Indiana State Police]] arrive. Jim picks up Mike's bag of money and rows away, as Tom tells Karen the fire damage to her church was not too bad and can be repaired.

== Cast ==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Christian Slater]] as Tom
* [[Morgan Freeman]] as Jim
* [[Randy Quaid]] as Sheriff Mike Collig
* [[Minnie Driver]] as Karen
* [[Ed Asner]] as Charlie
* [[Michael Goorjian]] as Kenny
* [[Dann Florek]] as Mr. Mehlor
* [[Ricky Harris]] as Ray
* [[Mark Rolston]] as Chief Deputy Wayne Bryce
* [[Peter Murnik]] as Deputy Phil
* [[Wayne Duvall]] as Hank
* [[Richard Dysart]] as Henry Sears
* [[Betty White]] as Doreen Sears
}}

== Production ==
=== Development ===
The production of the film was a collaborative effort among numerous film studios, one of which was the [[BBC|British Broadcasting Corporation]]. Christian Slater himself served as co-producer.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Van Gelder|first1=Lawrence|title=FILM REVIEW; Outlook: Stormy (It's Raining, Too)|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DE4D71F39F935A25752C0A96E958260|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 28, 2017}}</ref> At one point, [[John Woo]] was attached to direct the film,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/02/09/hard-rain-blu-ray-review|title=Hard Rain Blu-ray Review|last=Shaffer|first=R. L.|work=[[IGN]]|date=February 9, 2010 |access-date=June 1, 2016}}</ref> but he left the project to direct ''[[Face/Off]]'' instead and the project was taken over by [[Mikael Salomon]].

The film was originally titled ''The Flood'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.empireonline.com/movies/hard-rain/review/|title=Hard Rain Review|last=Collins|first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Collins (broadcaster) |work=[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]] |date=December 1, 2015 |access-date=June 1, 2016}}</ref> but it was changed because the film-makers did not want audiences to assume it was primarily a disaster film and not a heist-thriller.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}} A massive, deadly flood the previous year from the [[Ohio River]] that caused millions in damages was still fresh in the minds of moviegoers also prompted the name change. However, the film still retained that title in some other countries.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

The film was shot in [[Huntingburg, Indiana]], where the film is set (in reality there is no major river or dam nearby, although there are two [[reservoir]]s near the town), as well as a $6 million set in an [[aircraft hangar]] in [[Palmdale, California]] where the [[B-1 Lancer]] bomber was manufactured, and some exteriors in [[Etobicoke]], [[Toronto]], Canada.

As of April 2016, upon speaking with the Huntingburg City Office, film historian Adam Nichols was informed of and shown a museum located upstairs in the city office where several props, costumes, media, and production stills are displayed featuring this film and the 1992 film ''[[A League of Their Own]]'' that was also partially filmed in Huntingburg.

About the ending, Morgan Freeman said: "I played a bad guy in a movie [''Hard Rain''] and they showed it to an audience – and we're letting an audience tell us what to do now – y'know, and the audience said, 'Well, I don't want him – Morgan can't die!' And I was a thief. 'He should get some money'. We went back into the studio and re-shot it so that I didn't die and I did get some money."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/jul/14/morganfreeman|title=Morgan Freeman|last=Jobson|first=Richard|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=July 14, 2000|access-date=March 24, 2018|location=London}}</ref>

In retrospect Screenwriter Graham Yost said: “That was just supposed to be a western. It was basically a modern day western and it was just so expensive to do that it kind of lost its focus in a way, although Mikael [Salomon] did a great job.“<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mandatory.com/fun/642271-exclusive-interview-graham-yost-on-justified-season-5|title=Exclusive Interview: Graham Yost on 'Justified' Season 5|first=Fred|last=Topel|date=February 6, 2014|accessdate=May 8, 2023}}</ref>

== Release ==
=== Box office ===
''Hard Rain'' opened on the [[Martin Luther King]] long weekend in 1998 earning fifth place with $7.1 million from Friday to Sunday<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/charts/weekly/1998/19980116.php|title=Weekend Box Office Chart for January 16th, 1998|work= [[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] }}</ref> and $8 million including the holiday Monday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/charts/daily/1998/19980119.php|title=Daily Box Office Chart for Monday January 19th, 1998|work=The Numbers}}</ref> In the end, the film made $19.9 million in the US on a $70 million budget.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1998/HRDRN.php|title=Hard Rain (1998) – Financial Information|work= [[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] }}</ref>

Due to its poor box office performance in the US, the film was released [[straight to video]] in most countries. In the UK, a 2004 showing on [[BBC One]] was very well received.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}} The film gained a significant following in the video rental market.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.top10films.co.uk/13696-top-10-christian-slater-films/|title = Top 10 Christian Slater Films|date = September 21, 2012}}</ref>

=== Critical response ===
''Hard Rain'' received polarized reviews, some very positive and some very negative. A positive review was on timeout.com favorably compared the plot of ''Hard Rain'' to writer [[Graham Yost]]'s earlier and more financially successful project, ''[[Speed (1994 film)|Speed]]'', and suggested that it could be considered a [[spiritual sequel]] to ''Speed''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timeout.com/film/newyork/reviews/71733/Hard_Rain.html |title=Hard Rain |work=Time Out |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013141926/http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/71733/Hard_Rain.html |archive-date=October 13, 2012}}</ref> Another review, on starpulse.com, praised the action scenes of ''Hard Rain'' yet criticized the plot, calling it "mindless" yet "entertaining".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/Hard_Rain/Reviews/|title=Hard Rain|work=Starpulse|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050204182958/http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/Hard_Rain/Reviews/|archive-date=February 4, 2005}}</ref> One particularly negative review came from [[Roger Ebert]] of the [[Chicago Sun-Times]], who gave the film one star out of a possible four and stated: "''Hard Rain'' is one of those movies that never convince you its stories are really happening. From beginning to end, I was acutely aware of actors being paid to stand in cold water. Suspension of my disbelief in this case would have required psychotropic medications." Although he criticised the plot and some of the casting, he did praise the special effects.<ref>{{cite web |author= Roger Ebert |author-link= Roger Ebert |title= Hard Rain movie review & film summary (1998) |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hard-rain-1998 |website= [[Chicago Sun-Times]] |access-date= November 6, 2019 }}</ref> On the TV show [[At the Movies (1986 TV program)|Siskel & Ebert & the Movies]], he and his colleague [[Gene Siskel]] gave the film "two thumbs down".<ref>{{cite web |title=Spice World, Hard Rain, Fallen, The Gingerbread Man, Phantoms, Star Kid, 1998 – Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews |url=https://siskelebert.org/?p=5949 |website=SiskelEbert |access-date=November 6, 2019}}</ref> Commenting on its commercial performance, ''[[Total Film]]'' called it the "biggest flop of 1998" but said it deserved to perform better because of its "fun tension-cranking moments".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/biggest-movie-flops/|title=The 50 biggest movie flops that deserved better|work=[[Total Film]]|date=June 11, 2015|access-date=January 10, 2017}}</ref> Christopher Young's score was praised.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.filmtracks.com/titles/hard_rain.html|title=Filmtracks: Hard Rain (Christopher Young)|website=www.filmtracks.com|accessdate=May 8, 2023}}</ref>

On [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds a 31% approval rating based on 45 reviews with an average rating of 4.5/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "''Hard Rain'' is an implausible heist movie soaked in disaster movie trappings."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hard_rain/|title=Hard Rain (1997)|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=June 3, 2023}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film holds a [[weighted average]] score of 36 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hard Rain Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hard-rain |access-date=June 27, 2023 |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[Fandom, Inc.]]}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |url-status= dead |archive-date= December 20, 2018 |title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|0120696}}
* {{Amg movie|154935}}
* {{Mojo title|hardrain}}
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/film.php?filmid=208 Movie stills]

{{Mikael Salomon}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1998 films]]
[[Category:1998 action thriller films]]
[[Category:1998 crime thriller films]]
[[Category:1990s disaster films]]
[[Category:1990s heist films]]
[[Category:American action thriller films]]
[[Category:American crime thriller films]]
[[Category:American disaster films]]
[[Category:American heist films]]
[[Category:British action thriller films]]
[[Category:British crime thriller films]]
[[Category:British disaster films]]
[[Category:British heist films]]
[[Category:Danish crime thriller films]]
[[Category:Dubois County, Indiana]]
[[Category:English-language German films]]
[[Category:English-language Japanese films]]
[[Category:English-language Danish films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Mikael Salomon]]
[[Category:Films scored by Christopher Young]]
[[Category:Films set in Indiana]]
[[Category:Films set in Southwestern Indiana]]
[[Category:Films shot in Indiana]]
[[Category:Flood films]]
[[Category:German action thriller films]]
[[Category:German crime thriller films]]
[[Category:German disaster films]]
[[Category:German heist films]]
[[Category:Japanese action thriller films]]
[[Category:Japanese crime thriller films]]
[[Category:Japanese disaster films]]
[[Category:Japanese heist films]]
[[Category:Mutual Film Company films]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures films]]
[[Category:PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Ian Bryce]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:1990s British films]]
[[Category:1990s Japanese films]]
[[Category:1990s German films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Mark Gordon (producer)]]
[[Category:Films produced by Gary Levinsohn]]

Hard Rain (film) - Revision history

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