Hard Rain (1998)

When Alex and I watched the god-awful Hurricane Heist last September, it made me think of this movie. Because of the whole "pulling a heist during a natural disaster" thing, and the "shocking betrayal" thing. This is better, though. I mean, it's got Morgan Freeman in it, that gives it a massive leg up. Hell Christian Slater, Randy Quaid, Minnie Driver, Betty White, and Ed Asner are in this. Any of them beats anybody that was in Hurricane Heist.

Beyond that, though, it just feels less ridiculous that they're doing this stuff during a flood, as opposed to a hurricane. The flooding is, theoretically, sort of under control. There is a guy at the dam, opening gates to release more water as the dam nears capacity, but he's trying to keep the few people in town in the loop when he does it, so they can be ready. And the rising water levels mean the same stretch of town can present an entirely different landscape over the course of the film. Moving through knee-high water presents one set of challenges and solutions, chest-high water another. And steadily rising water presents a gradually increasing tension, versus the spectacle of maybe the hurricane dumps a silo on your head.

I'm not sure Christian Slater playing the protagonist is the best idea, just because he kind of has a punchable face at all times, but he does his best to do Bruce Willis in Die Hard. That kind of weary, sarcastic guy that would rather be at home, warm and safe. But he's here, so he's going to do his job and not let anyone steal the money from the armored car.

The film takes the time to lay the groundwork for Quaid's turn. That takes the surprise out of it, sure, but at least it feels earned, rather than just a "gotcha!" moment. Plus, when he finally makes that move it acts as a lever to shift some alliances a bit, puts a few other things in motion for the end of the film.

It's nothing great, but I think it's trying to be a solid action movie, and it mostly succeeds at that. The secondary characters at least get enough time to establish a few character traits, even if that's just "dumbass deputy", or "scripture-quoting thief". It gives them something distinctive to differentiate them a little. Basic storytelling, but at least it's there. They put the bare minimum work in.