Line #1 Film/HardRain


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3	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hard_rain_poster.jpg]]
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5	''Hard Rain'' is a 1998 film (with action, crime, and [[DisasterMovie disaster]] elements) directed by Mikael Salomon, starring Creator/MorganFreeman, Creator/ChristianSlater, Creator/RandyQuaid, Creator/MinnieDriver, Creator/EdwardAsner and Creator/BettyWhite. It's about an armored car robbery which takes place in a Midwestern U.S. town that's rapidly flooding due to an [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin unrelenting, torrential rainstorm]].
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7	[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused]] with ''VideoGame/HeavyRain'', the campaign from ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'', or the Music/BobDylan song and album.
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9	----
10	!!''Hard Rain'' provides examples of the following tropes:
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12	* AlasPoorVillain:
13	** [[spoiler:Phil. He's really not a bad guy, and he gets fatally wounded by another villain for being unwilling to shoot Tom. The bullets don't quite kill Phil, though; he gets finished off by a later surge of water. When he sees it coming, Phil clings to a [[Literature/TheBible Bible]] in his last moments.]]
14	** Also [[spoiler:Kenny]], who dies horribly trying to impress surrogate-father figure Jim.
15	* AntiVillain:
16	** Kenny isn't really malicious and just wants to impress his ParentalSubstitute Jim.
17	** Jim may be a ruthless thief, but he's quite [[AffablyEvil friendly]] and [[NobleDemon has a sense of honor]] almost despite himself.]]
18	** [[spoiler:Phil goes along with the other cops' FaceHeelTurn, but he's too kind to really be a threat and is remorseful about his actions. His death is played rather tragically as well.]]
19	* AskAStupidQuestion:
20	-->'''Tom:''' I hid the money in the cemetery. Tied it to some crypt named "Portman".\
21	'''Wayne:''' Why did you do that?\
22	'''Tom:''' I don't really like to carry around that much cash, you know?
23	* AsTheGoodBookSays: Ray's tendency to quote Bible verses. Jim even asks him for "inspiration" at one point. It leads to a rather amusing line later:
24	-->'''Ray:''' We'd go down to the river, and into the river we'd dive. (''the others give him confused looks'') [[Music/BruceSpringsteen Springsteen]], "The River". What? I'm all out of Bible verses.
25	* AttemptedRape: [[spoiler:The deputy]] tries to rape Karen after [[spoiler:the sheriff makes it clear that there could be no witnesses]].
26	* BattleInTheRain: Every single fight in this movie, obviously.
27	* BearTrap: Tom and Karen nearly step into a pair of them.
28	* BigBadWannabe: Jim, following the Sheriff usurping him of his BigBad status.
29	%%* BigDamPlot
30	* BloodlessCarnage: Most of the film does this, but there's an aversion of this trope during the cemetary shootout. And also averted with [[spoiler:Mike Collins]], when he dies in the final battle.
31	* BoringButPractical: When Jim's crew decides to steal a boat to pursue Tom, one suggests they take a large speedboat. Jim points out that a simple 10-foot bass boat is all they need, particularly given the vessel's shallow draft in the still low flood waters. His crew also steals two jetskis; their greater speed and maneuverability being a rare case of awesome AND practical.
32	** While searching the flooded school, believing Tom hid the money there, Mr. Mehlor is blasting open lockers with a shotgun until Jim tells him not to waste ammo and hands him a fire axe.
33	* BrokenPedestal: We find out much later in the movie that [[spoiler:Charlie]] was involved in the original plot to take the money. Tom doesn't take the news well.
34	* CaperCrew: Jim is the Mastermind, Mr. Mehlor is the Gadget Guy, Ray is the Muscle, [[spoiler: Charlie]] is the Inside Man. Kenny seems to think he's the Fixer, but he's actually the Load.
35	* CavalryBetrayal: [[spoiler: Ray is about to shoot Tom when he's struck down by a bullet. It's the Sheriff, who promptly starts gunning for the two remaining robbers. However, he's doing it because he's taking the money instead, meaning he's also there to kill Tom.]]
36	* CassandraTruth: Discussed - The Deputy is very suspicious of Tom's story, that he's an armored transport driver who narrowly escaped a hijacking. He asks if the Sheriff believes Tom and the Sheriff replies that he does, but would still be obligated to check it out, even if he didn't.
37	* ChekhovsGun: Four. The propane tank, the mounted cavalry statue, Karen's [[SwissArmyWeapon Swiss Army Knife]], and an ''actual'' gun, in the Sheriff's ankle holster. There's also one from before the movie started: When the sheriff is insisting that Hank come help him, he reminds Hank that he had to officially deputize Hank one time, so "When I say come down here and help, I'm not asking -- [[ThatsAnOrder I'm ordering you!]]"
38	* CorruptCop / DirtyCop: The Sheriff and Wayne definitely count. The Sheriff starts out good but [[FaceHeelTurn switches out ]] due to having been an ExtremeDoormat for so long. Wayne, on the other hand, is portrayed as having less than moral tendencies from the start and the disaster, along with his leader's shift in loyalties simply give him an outlet.
39	* DeadHatShot: Mr. Mehlor's shattered glasses settle on top of a tombstone after he suffers a MoeGreeneSpecial.
40	* DiedInYourArmsTonight: After being electrocuted, Kenny is being held and watched over by his [[ParentalSubstitute father figure]], Jim. Jim tells Kenny he'll be all right; Kenny even says the pain is starting to go away, and then...
41	* DrowningPit
42	** Tom in his jail cell.
43	** Karen in her house.
44	* EnemyMine: Tom and Jim end up working together temporarily when a third party wants to steal the money and kill them.
45	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The mayor uses the sheriff's name one time at the start of the movie. The rest of the time, everyone else just refers to him as "Sheriff".
46	* ExtremeDoormat: The sheriff. At the beginning of the movie, he's helping direct the evacuation of the town, which is normal for law enforcement. Then we find out he lost the election and once the emergency is over, he's out of a job. The mayor even [[LampshadeHanging calls him out]] on it, wondering why he's sticking around to help after what happened. One of his deputies suggests getting revenge on the mayor and blaming it on looters; the Sheriff declines and continues to help with the evacuation, then continues to stay and do his job long after almost everyone is gone.
47	* ExtremelyShortTimespan: Takes place over the course of a few hours.
48	* EyeScream: Mr. Mehlor. We hear the shot, see his glasses break, and hear his agonized scream as blood jets from his eye socket. Then, just to drive the point home, the movie shows his broken glasses sinking and settling atop a headstone.
49	* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:The sheriff]]. While wanting the money might be understandable due to his circumstances, it's what he'll have to do to get it that makes him a real Heel. The original gang of robbers [[EvenEvilHasStandards didn't want to go that far]]; they explicitly told the truck guards, "We just want the money! You guys walk away, we won't kill you!"
50	* FloatingHeadSyndrome: Some of the later posters and the DVD box art. It's a shame, too; [[http://www.impawards.com/1998/posters/hard_rain_ver1.jpg the original poster]] was at least kind of interesting.
51	* GiantWallOfWateryDoom: Occurs when the dam finally crumbles under the stress.
52	* TheGoodTheBadAndTheEvil: Respectively, Tom, Jim and [[spoiler:the sheriff]].
53	* HarmlessElectrocution: Subverted. Kenny gets very badly hurt from his electrocution, and though it does seem at first like he's going to survive it, he later dies.
54	* HenpeckedHusband: Henry is one to Doreen. The moment were he finally decides he has had enough and puts her in her place with a PrecisionFStrike is a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment\|s}}.
55	* HostileWeather: The flooding rain does not let up for the entire film.
56	* HumanShield: Jim uses Tom as one. [[spoiler:It [[ShootTheHostage doesn't work]], since the sheriff has decided to keep the money, which means he needs both of them dead, anyway.]]
57	* InnerCitySchool: Briefly implied, when Mr. Mehlor's homemade bombs are introduced.
58	-->'''Ray:''' You teach your students how to make stuff like that?\
59	'''Mehlor:''' Have you been to high school lately, Ray? My students taught ''me'' how to make stuff like this.
60	* InsigniaRipOffRitual: [[spoiler:The sheriff]]. While it's not done in front of his superiors, the "Screw this, I'm not working here anymore" mentality is still quite obviously there.
61	* ItsPersonal: Implied-the look on Jim's face when [[spoiler: Kenny]] dies in Jim's arms has this written all over it and it's pretty telling that it's almost immediately after this point when he drops his AffablyEvil act and threatens to shoot Tom whether he finds the money or not.
62	* LawmanGoneBad: Sheriff Mike Collins does this.
63	* LogoJoke: The familiar Creator/{{Paramount}} logo of a mountain is seen. Then the sky over the mountain clouds up and the rain starts falling.
64	* LosingAShoeInTheStruggle: Karen loses both of hers to the flood at some point.
65	* MentorOccupationalHazard: Charlie, to Tom. Although it was an accident.
66	* TheMillstone: Kenny is this and TheLoad to the other robbers, with Jim constantly having to keep him in line and snapping at him to "quit whining" when he finally gets fed up with his underling. That said, Jim doesn't particularly take it well [[spoiler: when Tom causes Kenny to get fatally electrocuted.]]
67	* MinionWithAnFInEvil: Phil, again. The only reason he's with the bad guys is that he couldn't bring himself to shoot one of them.
68	** Not a really useful trait in a cop, so Phil also [[HeroWithAnFInGood doesn't make a particularly effective good guy either]]. His apparent tendency to choke when he should be shooting somebody is also the end of him.
69	* MoeGreeneSpecial: [[spoiler:Mr. Mehlor; see EyeScream above]]
70	* NeverMyFault: Jim blames Kenny for fouling up their first attempt to rob the armored truck by getting trigger happy and [[spoiler: killing Charlie]]. Later, we find out that the reason this even happened was because Jim didn't tell Kenny that [[spoiler: Charlie]] was in on the heist.
71	* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Creator/MorganFreeman's character, Jim, says this almost word-for-word several times in the film. Even in the end, when Tom thinks Jim helped save his life:
72	-->'''Jim:''' You just don't get it, do you? (''he grabs the money bags and puts them in his boat'')
73	* ParentalSubstitute: Jim promised Kenny's father he'd look after Kenny. Jim didn't do such a great job of it.
74	* PoorCommunicationKills: Jim's decision to not fill Kenny in about [[spoiler: Charlie]] being in on the heist leads to Kenny shooting [[spoiler: Charlie]]. Consequently, it also causes all of the thieves' trouble with having to chase down Tom for the money, which ultimately leads to everyone in Jim's band but himself getting killed.
75	* PrecisionFStrike: Cool old man Henry gives one to [[Creator/BettyWhite Doreen]], his constantly nagging wife. They are escaping from bad guys and she keeps telling him to go faster, he rows back towards the criminals and this exchange happens:
76	-->'''Doreen:''' What are you doing?
77	-->'''Henry:''' I'm gonna row back there and see if he will shoot you...or me it's fine either way
78	-->'''Doreen:''' Henry!
79	-->'''Henry:''' Do you want me to get us out of here?
80	-->'''Doreen:''' Yes of course!
81	-->'''Henry:''' Then shut the fuck up!
82	* RedAlert: The dam has one, complete with flashing red lights and extremely loud warning buzzer. By the time it happens in the movie, it's too late for anyone to do anything about it.
83	* RescueRomance: Karen and Tom.
84	* RisingWaterRisingTension: Tom plays cat and mouse with gang of robbers [[spoiler:and a pack of Dirty Cops]] to secure $3 million in stolen cash hidden in a town that is slowly disappearing beneath flood waters.
85	* SaveTheVillain: Attempted. Tom and Karen try to get Kenny to jump to the windowsill from the metal scaffolding he’s on in order to avoid getting electrocuted by the rising water touching a live transformer. [[TooDumbToLive He realizes that staying on it is a stupid idea only too late.]]
86	* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: A variation. At first, Tom refuses to believe Jim's claims that [[spoiler: Charlie]] was working with them all along until Tom throws in scores of details on [[spoiler: Charlie's]] life from how he got his middle name to his late wife.
87	* SpannerInTheWorks: Tom (and later [[spoiler:the Sheriff]]) to Jim's plans.
88	* TooDumbToLive: Tom and Karen climb out of the water when they see the rising flood is about to touch a [[ElectrifiedBathtub power line]]. They quickly realize they climbed on a metal scaffold, and find a better ledge. Kenny, one of the criminals, also climbs out -- but doesn't realize the scaffold is metal until it's too late.
89	* VillainousBreakdown: Jim's original plan to snatch the cash from the armored car without having to kill anyone was [[ASimplePlan simple]]. However, [[SpannerInTheWorks Tom]] has caused him so much trouble that Jim, who's been portrayed as cool, calm, and calculating, finally decides he's fed up:
90	-->'''Jim:''' (''pointing a gun at Tom'') Before you start jerking me around again, consider this: I've had a very frustrating night. While I may not find that money if I kill you, I'm at the point now where I [[PunctuatedForEmphasis just... don't... care.]]
91	* WhamLine: [[spoiler:"Okay."]]
92	** "They're not coming, Tom. The National Guard...We didn't "intercept" [[spoiler: Charlie's call. ''He'' called ''us''.]]"
93	%%* WhenItRainsItPours
94	* WithUsOrAgainstUs: [[spoiler:The sheriff]] gives Phil one. To be fair, it's not really a FalseDichotomy in this instance, as Phil is a cop, and if he doesn't try to arrest or kill the bad guys, he's an accomplice.

Context Film / HardRain