Hard Luck (2006)

Two converging story lines involving corrupt cops ripping off drug dealers and serial killers are followed as former drug dealer Lucky, trying to go straight after doing a prison stint, ... See full summary »

Director:

Mario Van Peebles

Writers:

Larry Brand (screenplay), Mario Van Peebles (screenplay)

Stars:

Wesley Snipes, Jackie Quinones, Cybill Shepherd

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wesley Snipes	...	Lucky
Jackie Quinones	...	Angela (as Jacquelyn Quinones)
Cybill Shepherd	...	Cass
James Hiroyuki Liao	...	Chang (as James Liao)
Aubrey Dollar	...	Rainn
Kevin Thoms	...	Roland
Adrain Washington	...	Lucky (as Adrian Washington)
Noah Fleiss	...	Sol Rosenbaum
Bill Cobbs	...	Cobb
Kevin Chapman	...	Franklin
Tom Kemp	...	Gino Gambetta
Mike Messier	...	Eugene
Mario Van Peebles	...	Captain Davis
Tony Hua	...	Detective Lee
Luis Guzmán	...	Million Dollar Mendez

Storyline

Two converging story lines involving corrupt cops ripping off drug dealers and serial killers are followed as former drug dealer Lucky, trying to go straight after doing a prison stint, gets entangled within by a series of bad breaks. Shepherd plays a sadistic and vindictive mother of a handicapped son who along with her young kung-fu kicking boyfriend, abducts and tortures people who she feels scorn her son. Lucky, caught up in a shootout between dealers and cops, grabs two briefcases with $500,000 and goes on the run and has the hard luck of happening upon the serial killer's cabin.

---

Plot Keywords:

hare krishna | serial killer | shootout | written and directed by cast member | f word | 

---

Taglines:

One day could turn out to be the luckiest day in an unlucky man's life.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence including some aberrant situations, sexual content/nudity and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 October 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hard Luck

Filming Locations:

Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actor under the Old man mask in the Grocery store scene was not Wesley Snipes.

---

Connections

References Citizen Kane (1941)

---

Soundtracks

Faded Beauty Queen
Written by Tree Adams and Cydney Robinson and Erina Sako
Performed by Cydney Robinson and Erina Sako

User Reviews

Waste of Time

Look what happened to me on the same week. In one day I watched "New Jack City" who happens to be directed by Mario Van Peebles and it also happens to be a great movie about the dangers of the criminality in the New York of the 1980's and 1990's. A few days later I had the chance to watch this one "Hard Luck" also directed by Peebles and with Wesley Snipes in the cast. Result: this movie has nothing good to show except that are some twisted minds wandering around in the world.

Wesley Snipes plays Lucky an bad luck ex-convict who crosses countless and weird situations after some obscure negotiation involving an old friend (Noah Fleiss), some corrupt police officers and a gun dealer. While trying to get away of a shootout he kidnapped a beautiful dancer (Jacquelyn Quinones), stole the money of the negotiation and run away from the police. On the road he's gonna meet a psychotic couple (played by Cybil Shepherd and James Liao) and some other strange people in a mosaic and boring film.

The action scenes are annoying, weak and there's nothing special about it and Snipes was wasted in that department but in the dramatic scenes he is better than some of the supporting actors. The story presents too many characters and situations trying to be a action flick mixed with some mosaic film such as "Magnolia" where everybody and everyone is connected although we don't know how and when. About the psychotic couple...well they are presented in the beginning of the movie and you keep trying to understand what they're doing all the time, torturing people they find on the streets and you keep thinking what's the connection between them and Snipes? Only in the end you're gonna find out!

I'm truly disappointed with this film because it had some potential, it had a social denounce in the beginning (Snipes character survived the Hurricane Katrina) and the movie totally forgot that and moved to an ordinary and crappy action movie. I miss the great director of "Panther" and "New Jack City" who knew how to work with explosive themes and some good action scenes in the middle. A good cast was wasted (except Luis Guzman who was real funny in his only scene), money was wasted and my time was wasted. 3/10