Hard Cash Movie Review

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.