Hard Cash - Movie Review

Rating: 3 out of 5

Yes, it's a direct-to-video movie called Hard Cash, and yes it's a black comedy/heist that you've never heard of. And yes, it's got Val Kilmer and Christian Slater in it. What's the story?

Well, it's not as bad as you might think. We even get Verne "MINI-ME" Troyer crawling out of a toilet, so who can complain?

As expected, the movie features a variety of cons and counter-cons, as Slater's hustler tries to get a little bankroll for his child and girlfriend, all while trying to evade the greed of his henchmen as well as that of a corrupt FBI agent (Kilmer). In the film, a counterfeit heist is outdone by a racetrack job which is outdone by an armored car robbery. It's a bit much, and it lacks the how's-it-gonna-end mystery of a Mamet flick. (It also lacks the punchy dialogue, mind-bending twists, and great acting of a Mamet flick, but that's beside the point.)

But the stars of Hard Cash (perhaps the worst title for a movie of all time) all know how to act at least, and no one here is bad. This is hardly art or even anything close to it -- but you know, it beats sitcom reruns and probably half the junk they're pushing at Blockbuster.

Aka Run for the Money.

Facts and Figures

Year: 2002

Run time: 30 mins

In Theaters: Monday 4th March 2002

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 3 / 5

Cast & Crew

Director: Predrag Antonijevic

Producer: Randall Emmett, George Furla, Danny Lerner, Joey Nittolo, John Thompson

Screenwriter: Willie Dreyfus

Starring: Christian Slater as Taylor, Val Kilmer as FBI Agent Mark C. Cornell, Sara Downing as Paige, Vincent Laresca as Nikita, Balthazar Getty as Eddie, Bokeem Woodbine as Rock, Daryl Hannah as Virginia, Rodney Rowland as Butch (as Rod Rowland), Holliston Coleman as Megan, Peter Woodward as FBI Agent Jarvis, Michael Anthony Rosas as José, William Forsythe as Bo Young, Verne Troyer as Attila, Milos Milicevic as Attila's Guard, Peter Jason as The Counter Boss

Also starring: Randall Emmett, George Furla, Danny Lerner, Joey Nittolo, John Thompson, Willie Dreyfus