Everyone thought all of natural disasters had been covered in Hollywood – earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes. Everyone was wrong.

Hard Rain tackles floods. It drowns.

Transporting three million dollars across Mississippi, armored truck drivers Tom (Christian Slater, Broken Arrow) and Charlie (Ed Asner, JFK) get caught in a flood. While waiting for the National Guard to arrive, they are hijacked by a motley crew comprised of Jim (Morgan Freeman, Amistad), Kenny (Michael Goorjian, “Party of Five”) and several other thugs.

During the first four minutes of the film, Charlie is accidentally killed, Tom escapes and hides the money, and havoc ensues. For the remaining 94 minutes, the bad guys chase Tom.

They end up in an evacuated town where only a spattering of inhabitants remain. Tom hides in a church, but Karen (Minnie Driver, Good Will Hunting), a stained glass restorer, accuses him of breaking in. After explaining the situation to Karen, they go to the police station. The sheriff (Randy Quaid, King Pin) and two law enforcement agents search for the robbers.

Hard Rain definitely has its moments of humor, but many are not intended to be funny. The ridiculous situations that occur repeatedly are indicative of a poorly written script.

The dialogue that actually adds something to the film could fit into a script of less than 20 pages. The cookie-cutter plot and unimaginative screenplay bores the audience.

Even a magnificent cast cannot salvage the film from its self destruction. Without a plot or innovative screenplay, Hard Rain becomes a Hollywood disaster.

Hard Rain is now playing.

1 Hatchet