Hard time - Coup dur

Now, while I had never actually heard bout this 1998 crime action movie "Hard Time", from director Burt Reynolds, I have to admit that I wasn't really harboring the biggest of expectations. But I still opted to keep an open mind and watch the movie, giving it a fair chance.

And color me impressed. Writers David S. Cass Sr. And Steve Wesley put together a surprisingly entertaining script and storyline, when taking into consideration that "Hard Time" is a TV movie. I was genuinely and wholeheartedly entertained throughout the course of the 90 minutes that the movie ran for. In fact, I will actually go as far as to saying that this movie is definitely in the top ten of Burt Reynold-starred movies.

The storyline was nicely constructed, and there was a good pacing to the narrative. So the writers really managed to pull this one off quite well. Surprisingly well, in fact.

The cast ensemble in the movie was quite impressive. There is a good amount of familiar faces on the cast list, both in bigger and smaller roles. Burt Reynolds carries the movie quite well in the role of Det. Logan McQueen. And he is joined by the likes of Charles Durning, Robert Loggia, Mia Sara, Billy Dee Williams, John D'Aquino, Ja'net DuBois and Roddy Piper to mention but a few. The acting performances in the movie are good.

If you enjoy crime action movies, then "Hard Time" is definitely a movie that is well-worth sitting down and watching. I was rather surprised, and quite entertained, by what director Burt Reynolds delivered here.

My rating of "Hard Time" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Star-director Burt Reynolds is a cop paired with Charles Durning. Durning, at 75, plays a man looking at retirement, and neither man is as young as he used to be. In the opening sequence, they're pursuing a man, and Reynolds puffs as he runs, while Durning waddles.

The plot concerns the fallout from a suspect being killed, and the attempts of Our Heroes to clear themselves. For a TV movie, it's decently written, Reynolds gets good performances out of Robert Loggia, Mia Sara, Billy Dee Williams, and Alice Ghostley. In fact, it's just what I expected it to be, a modern B movie, with few surprises - except for the final one -- with everyone coming in to do a good job for a paycheck.

Burt Reynolds and Charles Durning play aging cops and longtime partners. Charles Durning plays Detective Charlie who is on the cusp of retirement and definitely slowing down more than a bit. He is busy trying to talk his partner Det. Logan McQueen into slowing down as well...including signing the two of them up for graffiti patrol. This does not prevent Logan from taking chase after two thieves. He manages to corner them until they turn the tables on him taking both his gun and his handcuffs. This ends up having terrible consequences as one of the thieves winds up dead, shot with Logan's gun and handcuffed to a case containing the stolen money. Only it wasn't all of the drug runner's money, some of it was missing. This gets Logan not only in trouble with the law but with Connie Martin.

Set in colorful California it was fun to see these two friends together on screen. It was also fun to see Mia Sara play Myler...Logan's reluctant lawyer. The real question becomes will Logan solve this puzzle before it's too late?

I wouldn't necessarily seek it out, but it was decent late night tv.

Emotion, happiness, accuses and redemption. " Hard Time ", the newest masterpiece directed and starring the star Burt Reynolds, brings everyone of these emotions! this film is, without a doubt, one of the best crime-drama films already done by Hollywood. Burt Reynolds, after his exceptional performance in the porn-saga " Boogie Nights ", which saved his career and took him back to the stardom, signed a contract with the TNT network to play the main character in three films and to direct at least one of them. Well, Burt is now directing "Hard Time" continuation, that will be called "Hard Time 2: Premonition ", and judging by his auspicious work in the first of the series, the executives of TNT made the right decision when letting him direct it again! Reynolds was never so good as he is in " Hard Time ", it is possible to see in his eyes the happiness, the energy, his passion, maybe for noticing that he's in charge, that he did again what he knows and that he has his authority of consecrated star recovered to the eyes of Hollywood and of the world now! with the hair already gray-headed, and with his famous mustache, Burt Reynolds is the image of the experience, of the man who is capable to demolish anything that appears in his way. The glance of Reynolds is still strong and penetrating, expressed all his determination, his interior hate. As his image in the poster of the film, Reynolds today is the image of a powerful, capable man who will still give a lot what to speak...

The story of "Hard Time" is exceptional, complex, intriguing and very, very tense. The intrigue follows "Sharky's Machine" style, a memorable film which Reynolds directed in 1981. Burt Reynolds interprets Logan McQueen, Miami's toughest cop, as the poster's taglines say, a fearless and full of rage inside of himself man, who doesn't fear anything in the world, in fact, he laughs in the presence of danger. At his side, there is Charles Duffy (interpreted by Charles Durning, a great friend of Reynolds and excellent actor, already nominated as best supporting actor by " The Best Little whorehouse in Texas "), his dedicated partner. Together, the two drive by the streets of Miami, facing dangerous latins,drug dealers and criminals of all the types. "Hard Time" has so many action scenes, shooting and persecution that it's impossible to enumerate them! McQueen,clearly, has many enemies and people who would like to see him dead. McQueen is, then, incriminated by something that he didn't commit and he is sent to a maximum security prison. In the prison, the cops are hated and McQueen knows that will have to do something to survive by everything and not to be murdered inside the place, he is determined to get out of there and to find the person (or the people) who incriminated him,and so settle the final scores.For the murderers' and the criminal's surprise, McQueen is worse and more dangerous than all of them together: the scenes in which Burt Reynolds smashes the men's head who planned to curry him is too violent! "Payback", Mel Gibson's movie, looks like Disney films, when compared with "Hard Time", in terms of violent scenes.After executing his sentence, and after having killed everybody that annoyed him in the place, McQueen is loosened, and now his hate is even bigger and powerful: he will go until the end to discover and kill each one of the men who incriminated him.The film still has some mysteries: a suitcase full of lost money, a vain and unfriendly black promoter who will do everything to promote homself (Billie Dee Williams as Johnny Cochran), a seductive attorney (played by MiaSara) and a murderer called Catarato (Paco Cristian Prieto) who represents the key for the whole mystery... Once the film was produced and done by TNT, it is visible its high quality: it nor even seems a film done for television, but a film done for the theaters, is a violent and poetic masterpiece, that has as its base an excellent plot, actors in the peak of their talents, and a strong and competent direction.And as he had already demonstrated in "Sharky's Machine", Burt Reynolds uses all his talent, competence and will to command a high level show filled with loaded-tension. The hate glance and determination, the cynic and malicious smile, the charming, pretty and brilliant presence: the Burt Reynolds of the seventies,of "Sharky's Machine" , reappears, lowering, violent and better than ever! and at this time he has more one thrilling enemy : if in "Sharky's Machine" the antagonist was Vittorio Gassman, in "Hard Time" a magisterial star lends his talent as villainous: Robert Loggia is Mr. Big, a crime boss who loves flamenco dancing,a dangerous and bad man, like Joe Pesci in "Godfellas"... And "Hard Time 2: Premonition" is already made, and it's in post-production phase! in this continuation, Logan McQueen will have to kill a dangerous terrorist who is exploding Miami. And the only hope resides on a prisoner who says he is capable to foresee the attacks ...in this film, Robert Loggia, Mia Sara and Charles Durning continue on the cast,and Bruce Dern enters. Once again the show is guaranteed! Burt Reynolds is back! his charm, his presence, all his wonderful and thrilling personality comes back to the screens of the whole world, and we owed that to "Boogie Nights", the film that put him back to the top! and if before we lamented and we suffered with the ostracism in which this legend was relegated, today we have surplus reasons to commemorate his return to the success, to the fame, to the stardom and the movies! Burt Reynolds was never so well as he is now! and get ready: "Pups", "Stringer","Waterproof", "Mystery, Alaska" and "The Hunter's Moon" are on their way!!!

Hard Time is an excellent film!It's filled with great action sequences,has a good plot,the cast is amazing,and this film could easily be a sequence for 1981's Sharky's Machine.Burt Reynolds is one of the most talented actors i've ever seen,and his been there presence helps to compose with surgical precision his character,a hard,though and implacabe cop!the time has passed,but Burt Reynolds still has that look in his eyes that makes everybody shake!this film doesn't even look like a television movie!no,it looks like a real movie,a cinema movie!what we see here is the kind of movie that doesn't offer to the audience easy solutions,instead,this film is complex and thrilling!we have that feeling that makes cinema one of the best things of the world,we are involved by the story.Burt Reynolds made a brilliant comeback,after Boogie Nights!i can't wait for his next ones:Stringer,The Progenitor,and Deliverance 2!just a suggestion:wouldn't it be nice to see Sharky's Machine 2? and how about to cast,for this film,Laura Linney,Reese Witherspoon and Tom Selleck? Congratulations,Burt!you're still the best!and Hard Time is the best thriller i've seen.