---
title: "Hard Rain"
year: 1998
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/hard-rain"
fi1m_id: "hard-rain"
imdb_id: "tt0120696"
tmdb_id: 11258
wikidata_id: "Q1585018"
fi1m_score: 61
critics_score: 47
critics_reviews: 7
published: "2026-10-05T01:32:12.958675+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T01:32:13.555419+00:00"
region: "TR"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Hard Rain (1998)

Directed by Mikael Salomon · 1h 37m · Thriller, Crime, Action

## Identity

Hard Rain

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/hard-rain
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** hard-rain
- **IMDb ID:** tt0120696
- **TMDB ID:** 11258
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1585018
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120696/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/11258, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1585018

**Fi1m score: 61** · Critics 47 from 7 reviews

*In a sentence:* A school full of jet skis is more persuasive than Christian Slater playing an action hero

> *Hard Rain* is a serviceable crime thriller with an inventive use for a flooded school. Morgan Freeman helps, but thin characters and occasionally muddy action keep the pleasure modest.

## Synopsis

Floodwater is spreading through a town, and an armoured-car courier has a robbery to contend with as well as the weather. Tom (Christian Slater) is carrying money through a place where the rising water complicates every route. Jim (Morgan Freeman), Karen (Minnie Driver) and Sheriff Mike Collins (Randy Quaid) are caught up in the crisis. Tom has to protect the cash while staying alive. The town itself makes that job harder: streets and buildings are filling with water, and the robbery cannot be separated from the disaster around it.

## Review

Mikael Salomon’s *Hard Rain* is entertaining enough for a forgiving evening, with a premise that produces better action than characters. An armoured-car courier caught in a flood-struck town gives the film two immediate problems to keep moving: a robbery and rising water. At 97 minutes, it gets through most of its business before the thin writing becomes exhausting. We would have liked rather more suspense between the bursts of activity.

Graham Yost’s screenplay relies heavily on the assumption that bad weather will make familiar crime-thriller behaviour feel fresh. The setting helps, but the people remain predictable enough that their conversations seldom create much tension. Christian Slater is a particular difficulty: he gives Tom energy without quite convincing us that he can handle the physical demands. We need to worry about the courier’s decisions, and too often we are simply waiting for the next obstacle.

Morgan Freeman does more with the material. His Jim has enough intelligence in the performance to suggest someone thinking through a problem, even when the writing offers little support. Randy Quaid’s Sheriff Mike Collins adds a welcome willingness to treat the proceedings with some humour. Minnie Driver gets too little to develop as Karen; the thinness of the part is more noticeable because we keep expecting her to be given something useful to do.

The school jet-ski chase is the clearest reason to give the film a chance. We were delighted by it: putting that pursuit inside a flooded school gives the action a specific problem to solve, and the solution is cheerfully impractical. J. Michael Riva’s production design turns the building into a convincing place for this ridiculous pursuit. Water changes where people can move and what can pursue them. The chase exploits those restrictions rather than simply putting another exchange of gunfire somewhere wet.

The flood effects are convincing enough to make the water feel like a persistent physical hazard. Peter Menzies has the difficult job of making the action legible within all that murk, and the cinematography does not always manage it. There are stretches when we can register the danger without getting a firm sense of where everyone is. That matters in a film whose main attraction is watching people negotiate an increasingly difficult place. The impressive work with the flood deserves clearer staging around it.

Editors Paul Hirsch, Amnon David and Gillian L. Hutshing keep events moving briskly, though speed cannot quite disguise how little substance connects the set-pieces. The film rarely hangs about long enough to become a chore. Christopher Young’s score supplies urgency, but it cannot make the confrontations carry the same threat as the water. Individual action passages work well enough; the suspense tends to subside whenever people have to explain themselves.

The disaster-thriller side gives it a reason to exist beyond the familiar robbery plot. Anyone looking for a tightly worked heist will have to forgive a good deal of flimsy character writing. The cast and the school chase make that easier than it ought to be. Give it an evening if elaborate physical predicaments matter more to the household than plausible human behaviour.

*Fi1m score 61, published 5 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews lean towards disappointment, though several find entertainment in Hard Rain’s flooded-town thriller. Praise centres on individual set-pieces and supporting performances rather than the story: Morgan Freeman earns credit even from critics unconvinced by the film around him. Radio Times enjoys the tongue-in-cheek playing of Freeman and Randy Quaid, finding the film preposterous but brisk. Empire also praises the technically impressive flood effects and the unusual, fractious disaster-heist setup.

The divide is over how much those pleasures compensate for weak plotting and characterisation, with responses ranging from qualified enjoyment to outright dismissal. Total Film admires the school jet-ski chase but finds the characters stereotypical and the cast wasted. Variety credits Freeman with bringing intelligence to a poorly written role, while criticising murky action and unconvincing drama. Eye for Film is less forgiving still, finding that neither effects nor performances rescue the absurd plot.

## Straight answers

**Is Hard Rain worth watching?**

*Hard Rain* is worth considering for forgiving action-thriller fans, and we score it 61 out of 100. We enjoy Morgan Freeman and the inventive jet-ski chase through a flooded school, but thin characters, unconvincing decisions and occasionally unclear action make this a modest pleasure rather than a strong recommendation.

**How long is Hard Rain, and what is it rated?**

*Hard Rain* runs 1h 37m. It is a thriller and crime film.

**Where can I watch Hard Rain in Türkiye?**

*Hard Rain* is streaming on Netflix in Türkiye. It leaves Netflix on 9 October. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Hard Rain, and is it suitable for children?**

*Hard Rain* has a UK 15 certificate and is not suitable for children under 15; its action includes gunfire and danger from rising floodwater. We find the water more threatening than the confrontations, though the sustained physical hazards make it a better fit for older teenagers and adults comfortable with action-thriller peril.

**How does Hard Rain compare to The Wages of Fear?**

*Hard Rain* offers brisk, elaborate action, while [*The Wages of Fear*](https://film.one/film/the-wages-of-fear) is the stronger choice for patient, sustained suspense. Both make hazardous work harder through the surroundings, but we recommend the flooded robbery for set-piece invention and the nitroglycerine journey for tension, with the caveat that the latter takes its time getting out of town.

**What should I watch after Hard Rain?**

After *Hard Rain*, try [*The Wages of Fear*](https://film.one/film/the-wages-of-fear) (1953, Fi1m 90): Another hazardous job where the surroundings make every practical decision harder. Then [*Crawl*](https://film.one/film/crawl) (2019, Fi1m 76): More floodwater, tighter suspense and considerably less room to negotiate with the opposition; and [*A Simple Plan*](https://film.one/film/a-simple-plan) (1998, Fi1m 86): For a crime story that takes the consequences of finding money seriously.

### Reviews we read (7)

- **Empire**, Andrew Collins (65/100, inferred): Collins finds it a rollicking, inventive disaster-heist thriller, though Slater is unconvincing as an action hero. He praises its unusual, fractious setup and technically impressive flood effects, while noting Freeman and Quaid steal the film. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hard-rain-review/)
- **Time Out**, TJ (64/100, inferred): The page is identified as a film review, but its verdict cannot be determined from the accessible content. The metadata describes a flood-struck town and an armored-car courier, without exposing any specific praise or complaint. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/hard-rain)
- **Radio Times**, Joanna Berry (3/5): Berry finds the film preposterous but brisk and entertaining. She singles out the tongue-in-cheek performances by Morgan Freeman and Randy Quaid for praise. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-93klle/hard-rain/)
- **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (54/100, inferred): The headline suggests a negative verdict. The only visible complaint is the film’s stormy outlook, but the article text is inaccessible. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/16/movies/film-review-outlook-stormy-it-s-raining-too.html)
- **Total Film**, Total Film (2/5): The critic finds the film a clichéd, flimsy action thriller that is difficult to take seriously. They single out the inventive school jet-ski chase as an outstanding set-piece, while criticizing the stereotypical characters and wasted cast. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/hard-rain-review/)
- **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (20/100, inferred): McCarthy finds the thriller dramatically unconvincing and weighed down by its high-concept premise. He singles out Morgan Freeman for bringing intelligence to a poorly written character, while criticizing the murky action and cardboard characters. [Read](https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/hard-rain-1117433115/)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (15/100, inferred): The critic dismisses the film as sodden in both mind and matter. He complains that the absurd plot is not rescued by the effects or performances. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/hard-rain-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

## Details

- **Director:** Mikael Salomon
- **Director:** Mikael Salomon
- **Screenplay:** Graham Yost
- **Cinematography:** Peter Menzies
- **Editor:** Paul Hirsch, Amnon David, Gillian L. Hutshing
- **Music:** Christopher Young
- **Production design:** J. Michael Riva
- **Costume design:** Kathleen Detoro
- **Producer:** Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn, Art Levinson
- **Cast:** Morgan Freeman as Jim; Christian Slater as Tom; Minnie Driver as Karen; Randy Quaid as Sheriff Mike Collins; Ed Asner as Uncle Charlie; Betty White as Doreen Sears; Richard Dysart as Henry Sears; Dann Florek as Mr. Mehlor
- **Runtime:** 1h 37m
- **Release (Türkiye):** 24 April 1998
- **Genres:** Thriller, Crime, Action
- **Budget:** $70 million
- **Box office:** $20 million

## Where to watch in Türkiye

- Netflix: streaming, leaving 2026-10-09

*Checked 2026-10-05.*

Also available in: AR, AT, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, FI, IN, KR, MX, NO, PA, PE, RO, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Taking of Pelham One Two Three* (1974): A more sharply written robbery, with practical obstacles and some splendidly irritated professionals.
- *The Wages of Fear* (1953), Fi1m 90: Another hazardous job where the surroundings make every practical decision harder. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-wages-of-fear.md)
- *Crawl* (2019), Fi1m 76: More floodwater, tighter suspense and considerably less room to negotiate with the opposition. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/crawl.md)
- *The Host* (2006): A river brings trouble, while an unruly family supplies the human interest.
- *A Simple Plan* (1998), Fi1m 86: For a crime story that takes the consequences of finding money seriously. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-simple-plan.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/hard-rain