Hard Time (film)

Last updated
Hard Time
Hard Time (film).jpg
Written by David S. Cass Sr.
Steve Wesley
Directed by Burt Reynolds
Starring Burt Reynolds
Charles Durning
Robert Loggia
Music by Snuff Garrett
Clarke Rigsby
Kevin Stoller
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers Robert Halmi Jr.
Scott Garen
Producer David S. Cass Sr.
CinematographySuki Medencevic
Editor Glenn Farr
Running time90 minutes
Production company Larry Levinson Productions
Original release
Network TNT
ReleaseDecember 13, 1998 (1998-12-13)

Hard Time is a 1998 American made-for-television action crime film directed by and starring Burt Reynolds. [1] [2] [3] This film premiered on TNT on December 13, 1998.

Contents

It is followed by two sequels, The Premonition and Hostage Hotel (both in 1999). It was always envisioned as a trilogy. [4]

Plot

Logan McQueen, a Vietnam War veteran and Miami police officer, chases two briefcase thieves down an alley. One of the thieves knocks him down, steals his gun and shoots the other thief with it. Logan is put in prison pending investigation but his bail is provided by the mob, who expect him to return money that is missing from the stolen briefcase. Logan begins to suspect that someone in his own police department is framing him for the crimes but the mob has now given him an opportunity to seek the truth.

Cast

Production

Reynolds made the film after the triumph of Boogie Nights . He later said: "After the excitement or resurrection or finding out that I wasn't dead came out, I promised myself two things. One was that I wanted to do a major studio film ( Mystery, Alaska ), and the other one was that I wanted to direct - because I had a great passion for directing, and I missed it". [5]

TNT approached Reynolds with the offer to star in three TV movies, one of which he would direct: "This was a chance to do something that the Turner network had never done before, which was to take a few characters and put them in three movies, all of which could stand on their own but do them in a way that there would be an arc to the characters. They would change in the three films". [5]

The films were all set in Florida but shot in Los Angeles because it was cheaper. Reynolds said that "this is a film with three Oscar nominees. We had access to a lot of people who don't ordinarily do television. . . . If we had to take them to Miami, our budget would go up greatly. So that would have to be taken into account". [6]

Reynolds said he liked the film because he liked the idea of watching someone who had strong views on capital punishment change his mind. Reynolds said the character was like his father, "one of the fairest men I've ever known, but he is prejudiced about things, and that's because he spent his whole life as a policeman. He's not real good about forgiveness when someone does something illegal". [6]

Reynolds changed his character's name from Conrad Logan (as it was originally written) to Logan McQueen as a nod to the "very complicated, very underrated" Steve McQueen. [5]

Reynolds enjoyed directing: "It's the difference between being a chess player and chess pawn. Having done 300 television shows and almost 60 movies, I'm tired of having guys who are younger than some sandwiches I've had telling me to turn left at the couch. There's no appreciation of actors and no sense of history". [7]

Home media

The film was released on DVD on August 3, 2004. [8]

Hard Time: The Premonition

Hard Time: The Premonition is a 1999 sequel to Hard Time. It was directed by David S. Cass Sr.

Plot

A serial bomber terrorizes the city. [9]

Cast

Hard Time: Hostage Hotel

Hard Time: Hostage Hotel is a 1999 American film. It is the third and last in the Hard Time series. It was also known as Hide and Seek. It was the last film to be directed by Hal Needham before his death in 2013.

Plot

Though they have not yet made up with each other, Duffy convinces Logan to help him catch fugitive Sy Harkin. The rescue goes wrong, ending in a gunfight and leaving Flynn and Duffy seeking another paying job.

As Congressman Robert Sinclair is giving a speech in the ballroom of an old hotel that is being renovated, his wife Susan and daughter Justine are taken hostage by Vietnam vets Flynn and Kenny, who blows up the ballroom and kills the audience, though Sinclair escapes. Flynn demands to negotiate through Duffy, who helped him out of jail in the past.

The FBI attempt to rescue Sinclair's family but are killed by various booby traps in the hotel. Duffy safely follows instructions from Flynn to the meeting point but is knocked out when Flynn discovers that he is wearing a wire. Logan arrives to see Susan's aide thrown to her death from a hotel window. Higgs obtains weapons and he and Logan infiltrate the hotel through a basement window, but are overheard by the FBI and the criminals as they are communicating with Captain Waters on a walkie-talkie channel.

Logan breaks into the room as Flynn is about to throw Justine out the window. Duffy shoots Kenny and Logan chases Flynn through the tunnels under the hotel, navigating a series of booby traps marked in Vietnamese. Logan offers to get Flynn help for his trauma from war but Flynn refuses and blows himself up, though Logan manages to dive and save himself and Justine.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Urich</span> American actor and producer (1946–2002)

Robert Michael Urich was an American film, television, and stage actor and television producer. Over the course of his 30-year career, he starred in a record 15 television series.

<i>Atlantic City</i> (1980 film) 1980 romantic crime film directed by Louis Malle

Atlantic City is a 1980 romantic crime film directed by Louis Malle from a screenplay by John Guare. It stars Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon in the leading roles, with a supporting cast featuring Kate Reid, Michel Piccoli, Robert Joy, Hollis McLaren, and Al Waxman. A co-production between French and Canadian companies filmed in late 1979, it was released in France and Germany in September 1980 and in the United States later that year by Paramount Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Coburn</span> American actor (1928–2002)

James Harrison Coburn III was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burt Reynolds</span> American actor (1936–2018)

Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as Gunsmoke (1962–1965), Hawk (1966) and Dan August (1970–1971). Although Reynolds had leading roles in films such as Navajo Joe (1966) and 100 Rifles (1969), his breakthrough role was as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance (1972).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Duffy</span> American actor

Patrick Duffy is an American actor and director widely known for his role on the CBS primetime soap opera Dallas, where he played Bobby Ewing, the youngest son of Miss Ellie, and the brother of J.R. Ewing from 1978 to 1985 and from 1986 to 1991. Duffy returned to reprise his role as Bobby in a continuation of Dallas, which aired on TNT from 2012 to 2014. He is also well known for his role on the ABC sitcom Step by Step as Frank Lambert from 1991 to 1998, and for his role as Stephen Logan on the CBS daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Duffy played the lead character's father in the 2014 NBC sitcom Welcome to Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Durning</span> American actor (1923–2012)

Charles Edward Durning was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies, television shows and plays. Durning's best-known films include The Sting (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), The Muppet Movie (1979), True Confessions (1981), Tootsie (1982), Dick Tracy (1990), and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for both The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and To Be or Not to Be (1983). Prior to his acting career, Durning served in World War II and was decorated for valor in combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hal Needham</span> American stunt performer and film director (1931–2013)

Hal Brett Needham was an American stuntman, film director, actor, writer, and NASCAR team owner. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with actor Burt Reynolds, usually in films involving fast cars, such as Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Hooper (1978), The Cannonball Run (1981) and Stroker Ace (1983).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Forsyth</span> Scottish film director and writer

William David Forsyth. known as Bill Forsyth, is a Scottish film director and writer known for his films Gregory's Girl (1981), Local Hero (1983) and Comfort and Joy (1984) as well as his adaptation of the Marilynne Robinson novel Housekeeping (1987).

<i>Stroker Ace</i> 1983 film by Hal Needham

Stroker Ace is a 1983 American action comedy sport film directed by Hal Needham and starring Burt Reynolds as the eponymous Stroker Ace, a NASCAR driver.

<i>Sharkys Machine</i> 1981 film by Burt Reynolds

Sharky's Machine is a 1981 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Burt Reynolds, who stars in the title role. It is an adaptation of William Diehl's first novel Sharky's Machine (1978) with a screenplay by Gerald Di Pego. It also stars Vittorio Gassman, Brian Keith, Charles Durning, Earl Holliman, Bernie Casey, Henry Silva, Darryl Hickman, Richard Libertini, Rachel Ward and Joseph Mascolo.

<i>Heat</i> (1986 film) 1987 film by Dick Richards, Jerry Jameson

Heat is a 1986 American neo-noir dramatic action thriller film about an ex-mercenary working as a bodyguard in Las Vegas. The film was written by William Goldman, based on his 1985 novel of the same name. Heat was directed by Dick Richards and Jerry Jameson. The film stars Burt Reynolds, Karen Young, Peter MacNicol, Howard Hesseman, Neill Barry and Joseph Mascolo.

<i>The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas</i> (film) 1982 film by Colin Higgins

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a 1982 American musical comedy film co-written, produced and directed by Colin Higgins. An adaptation of the 1978 Broadway musical of the same name, the film stars Burt Reynolds, Dolly Parton, Jim Nabors, Charles Durning and Dom DeLuise.

<i>Rent-a-Cop</i> 1988 film by Jerry London

Rent-a-Cop is a 1987 American thriller comedy starring Burt Reynolds and Liza Minnelli. Reynolds plays a disgraced police officer, now working as a security guard, who falls in love with Minnelli, who plays a prostitute.

<i>Fuzz</i> (film) 1972 film by Richard A. Colla

Fuzz is a 1972 American action comedy film directed by Richard A. Colla and starring Burt Reynolds, Yul Brynner, Raquel Welch, Tom Skerritt and Jack Weston.

<i>Shamus</i> (film) 1973 film by Buzz Kulik

Shamus is a 1973 American comedy thriller film directed by Buzz Kulik, and starring Burt Reynolds and Dyan Cannon. The word "shamus" means "detective" in American slang.

<i>Skullduggery</i> (1970 film) 1970 adventure film by Gordon Douglas

Skullduggery is a 1970 American adventure film directed by Gordon Douglas produced by Saul David and starring Burt Reynolds, Susan Clark. It is based on the French novel Les Animaux dénaturés (1952) by Jean Bruller.

<i>The Chaos Experiment</i> 2009 film

The Chaos Experiment is a 2009 independent suspense thriller directed by Philippe Martinez and starring Val Kilmer, Armand Assante, and Eric Roberts.

<i>The Last Producer</i> 2000 film by Burt Reynolds

The Last Producer is a 2000 American drama film directed by and starring Burt Reynolds. It also featured Sean Astin, Ann-Margret, Lauren Holly, Rod Steiger, and Benjamin Bratt. It was also referred to as The Final Hit in final packaging and promotional materials. It is the final film to be directed by Reynolds before his death in 2018.

<i>A Bunch of Amateurs</i> 2008 film by Andy Cadiff

A Bunch of Amateurs is a 2008 British comedy film directed by Andy Cadiff, and stars Burt Reynolds, Derek Jacobi, Alistair Petrie and Samantha Bond. In November 2008, the premiere in Leicester Square was attended by Elizabeth II. The screenplay was written by Nick Newman, John Ross, Ian Hislop and Jonathan Gershfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Buie</span> Canadian film and television actor

Michael Buie is a Canadian-born film and television actor, known primarily for portraying Fox News anchor Bret Baier in the 2019 film Bombshell, and his recurring role as Paul Dawson on the long-running ABC television series Grey's Anatomy.

References

  1. ↑ Ray Richmond (December 10, 1998). "Review: 'Hard Time'". Variety . Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  2. ↑ Steven Linan (December 12, 1998). "Reynolds' 'Hard Time' Gives Viewers a Rather Difficult Time". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Hard Time". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  4. ↑ CABLE ON THE ATTACK BIG, AMBITIOUS PROGRAMMING RIPPLES ACROSS CABLE: Staci D. Kramer. Special to the Tribune.. Chicago Tribune 27 Sep 1998: 5.
  5. 1 2 3 "Burt Reynolds sounds amazed when he talks about the audience Heldenfels", R. D., The Charleston Gazette, 12 Dec 1998: 5C.
  6. 1 2 Burt's back, doing 'Hard Time' Jefferson, Graham. USA Today , 10 Dec 1998: 03D.
  7. ↑ REYNOLDS IS DAD SOLID PERFECT, Givens, Ron, New York Daily News, 11 Dec 1998: 160.
  8. ↑ "Hard Time". Amazon.com . Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  9. ↑ Brothers Clash in 'Summer's End', Martie Zad, Washington Post Staff Writer, 8 Feb 1999: BR4.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.