User reviews

This is a weird movie. It starts of as a gangster movie with drugs, naked girls and suits that you get arrested for just by wearing them.

The movie is split up into two different movies, the first a gangster/love/action/pulp-fiction-story and the second part a horror/psycho/thriller type of story. It sounds good on paper, and the director and editor are both doing their best to keep the two stories together. To bad it's not working, the stories are to different and it really feels like if someone took two movies and created a mix-tape from them.

The action is average and Wesley Snipes is doing his thing, but not more then you could expect from a B-type actor. Some of the other cast members are doing a real good job and this only makes Snipes look more like a poster name then a real actor in this case.

The biggest problem I had with this movie is that the psycho/killer part appealed more to me then the main gangesterstory. Every time the story shifted to the Thriller part I woke up from the "almost-sleeping-state" the gangster part put me in.

To sum it all up: OK movie the fact that it's very different from Wesley Snipes' other work, and that the writing is above average makes it interesting to watch.

Wesley Snipes stars as a con-man gone legit (You know the type) who is involved in one more deal, done as a favor to a friend, however that deal goes awry and Snipes ends up with the money and then runs into backwoods serial killers led by Cybil Shepherd. I must admit I give Hard Luck points for trying, this movie is so chaotic, haphazard and so over the map that it becomes enjoyable on a surreal level. The fact that I expected a typical ' Former thief ends up with cash finds himself running from the mobsters who set him up' style movie but in the hands of Mario Van Peebles, so much is thrown at the wall and the completely different plot lines are thrown together with so much disregard toward the main plot that Hard Luck become inadvertently entertaining. Also helping factors is that this wasn't made in Romania and Snipes seems more into things. As does Shepherd who delivers a credible performance as the former model turned serial killer. Sure the main story is underwritten and Van Peebles doesn't make a fully coherent story out of the scenarios he intersects, but make of this what you will, Hard Luck is the best film from Wesley Snipes since Blade II.

* * out of 4-(Fair)

Continuity, was a bit lacking, as the movie opens the obligatory car chase is going on, and our hero is being chastised, by the love interest, in English, yet later in the film as this scene is expanded he is being screamed at in Spanish!

I was left feeling that the story could have done more with the "Serial Killer" duo, I liked the humor of the Diner scene when a Halloween costumed kid comes up and says "Yahhh! I'm a Serial Killer!" & Cybill Shepherd comes back with "Well, I'm a Serial Killer, too!!!" All the cops and robbers, and bad boy trying to go straight has been done to death, and as for getting a pole dancer to strip, so that she "won't run into the street, naked"... Really!!! There are interesting characters like the Gay XXX movie producer "Latinos are the NEW Exotic" Cass the Serial Killer "Imagine the worst thing that can happen to you, and I will show you how limited your imagination really is". Could have been a 'good' movie...

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

Faded/fading stars, newbies just out of school, a plot which makes little sense, clichés tired and banal, dialogue which adds insult to injury, performances which range from good jokes to bad, to just tired as well. You hope everyone was stoned and having fun enough to actually laugh at the mess they're making which at least aspires on occasion to camp, however hard it falls on its face. Dreck, grade D product with grade B- production values. Only the dregs of basic cable could pass this off as a way to kill a couple of late-night hours, which might work as you also do your toenails (and/or beat weed), listen to music, and chat online.

Well, I've finally tracked down Wesley Snipes's worst film and it turns out to be this Mario Van Peebles-directed stinker that attempts to mix the small-time gangster genre with a serial killer flick. HARD LUCK is an appallingly shot, badly written B-movie that's so inept that you wonder whether Peebles went out of his way to make the worst film he could as part of a bet.

The film stars Snipes and the often-naked Jackie Quinones as an ex-con and a stripper who go on the run from the Mob with a suitcase full of cash. All very ordinary you might think, but then the plot takes a turn for the bizarre with the introduction of a serial killing couple played by Cybill Shepherd and James Liao. Yes, that really is Cybill Shepherd in this movie, although what she's doing here I can only guess.

HARD LUCK is shoddily made and particularly badly shot; all of the dialogue scenes and moments of exposition are acceptable, but the handling of the action is horrendous (a surprise considering Peebles's experience in the genre). The ineptness has to be seen to be believed: there's genuinely nothing good here, aside from a typically reliable Snipes, so how this got made or even released I have no idea.

HARD LUCK with Wesley Snipes, Mario Van Peebbles and Cybill Shepherd. Not bad but I think its a little late coming. It feels like it should have been released at least six to seven years ago. It is part of the post-Pulp Fiction style of movies of the last 12 years. It has that Tarantino, DePalma, David Lynch feel to it at times that I think Van Peebles(and Snipes I would imagine)wanted to try and capture. Its a very good attempt. Because its another straight-to-video flick it won't likely make any best of list or even honorable mention but I thought it was worth checking out. One goes in thinking its another straight forward action-thriller and you realize that it is an absurdist black comedy. An African-American take on Joe Orton or Harold Pinter. Not all the writing is at that level but definitely the atmosphere is. Very different kind of role for Ms. Shepherd. I don't want to spoil anything so you'll might be curious enough to see it. She made my eyebrows rise a few times. I felt it could have been better edited with a higher grade cinematographer. It just didn't have enough polish to give it a higher rating. I sensed that Mr. Snipes might have been a little nervous working on this kind of material that didn't position him in an familiar and easy to accept context. Its his way of acknowledging that TIME catches up to all of us. No matter how willful, handsome, charismatic or gifted we may be. Up to now Wesley has played easy to read heroes or villains and this guy was more of an Everyman. Not that he hasn't done regular guys in the past like WATERDANCE, ONE NIGHT STAND and DOWN IN THE DELTA. This character was an echo from his earlier work in NEW JACK CITY and SUGAR HILL but with far more apprehension and less cockiness.

Hard Luck is a dark comedy about a pair of serial killers that meet up with a dancer and a guy named lucky who fell into some money. Lucky tries to get the money and skip town with mobsters hot on his trail and picks up a dancer who gets in the way more than once. When Lucky meets up with the serial killers, he almost buys the farm. Pretty good action and dialog that is helped by good actors. Lots of purple comes through and livens up the action. Not meant to be an intellectual film, it has its moments. I think I liked Snipes better in US Marshals type movies. Van Peebles has made a movie that really relied on Snipes to create the draw. What are friends for anyway…. If you like action, some sick serial killers, and some T&A you'll like this movie.

This Mario Van Peebles and Larry Brand penned movie is a unique blend of two genre films, the "gangsta" and "psycho-on-the-loose."

There is also a wink that the director (Peebles) takes at the old 'screwball comedies' where a couple usually gets involved in a situation that neither wanted to be in from the beginning. And of course part of that scenario has a 'Bonnie and Clyde' overtone as the couple (Snipes and Jackie Quinones) try and stay one step ahead of both the law and gangsters that were 'short changed' by Snipes in the beginning of the film.

There is a little bit of 'political statement' at the very beginning of the movie that doesn't take away from the crux of 'Hard Luck.' For some reason Peebles wanted a 'current event' added to a film that did not warrant it. Over time the scene in question will only date the film.

Not wanting to spoil it for anybody, but lets just say Peebles has assembled a great cast -- some known faces and some relatively new ones -- and puts them to good use. While the material is sort of a 'walk in the park' for Snipes, you will be surprised by some of Peebles' unique choices at casting. Hint: be prepared to see Cybil Shepard in a new light! ;-D

'Hard Luck' is one those many half baked direct to DVD movies that Wesley Snipes starred in after the third 'Blade' movie. Not definitely the best one, but one of the most interesting from the bunch. Snipes stars as an ex-hustler gone straight, but with the string of bad luck he ends up as a witness for a deal gone bad. Throw corrupt cops, striper, stolen money and couple of serial killers into the mix and you get quite interesting over the top and action packed thriller (that lacks the actual thrills). Although the film has quite usual premise that is liven up with some ohter interesting subplots, the uneven tone and occasionally rushed screenplay hinders the film grow into it's full potential. As the film was trying to be serious and hilarious at the same time, it was little hard to feel for all the characters and take some of the actions seriously even in the context of the movie. In that sense, 'Hard Luck' felt like someone's first experiment as feature film director, but by that time Mario Van Peebles had became quite experienced filmmaker with some critically acclaimed works under his belt. And they had 56 days to shoot? The most entertaining part of the film was Cybil Shepherd as demented serial killer - her performance was so wonderfully hammy that it would have been perfect fit also into Tarantino's universe.

Not the usual Wesley Snipes movie, but nothing very exciting either.

Slow moving, a little incoherent and with next to know pay off.

You must have been sniffing paraffin if you think this is good… a GCSE student scripted this after an all night Tarantino movie watching session Incoherent, badly scripted, hammy dialogued, in places poorly acted. See Wesley Snipes amble from one flung together scene to another (with little or no continuity) as he inexplicably meets a lot of deranged, unbelievable, two dimensional characters.

The only value this movie has is that it features Snipes, who manages to put in an OK performance (unbelievably under the circumstances).

Its tried, its old, its clichéd, it's a waste of your money and/or time and finally it features Mario-Van conducting one scene wheeling about imparting dialogue on a push-bike…why? Who the hell knows.

At the end if you know or care what is going on then you must be on some higher level of consciousness is all I am saying! Avoid, unless you want to laugh at a bad movie done badly.

Rubbish I will say that again…Rubbish

How come people give this lousy film so many good reviews but superior Snipes films like Art Of War II and The Marksman get so many negative reviews? This has got to be one of the most boring thrillers i've ever had the displeasure of sitting through, there's long stretches of boredom without anything interesting happening. Plus to make things worse the terrible serial killer subplot is shoehorned in and takes away the focus from the main story with Snipes character. These have to be the most pathetic and least intimidating serial killers ever, they just look so ordinary, but maybe that was the point? Well I like serial killers to be threatening and they failed miserably at that here, and they're torture methods aren't so much disturbing as confusing, exactly what the hell did those helmet things do to people? Didn't look so bad to me. Snipes along with his female companion at least look they're trying to make the best out of lousy film but the awful performances from everyone else make it a lost cause, even the half-way decent finale dosen't make the film worth watching. It's surprising how bad this film is, considering it was directed by Mario Van Peebles, who's proved to be a talented director, I certainly hope his next film has more thought and effort put into it then this crap fest.

"Hard Luck" tries to be different but fails. Lucky (Snipes) is an ex-con who (as usual) wants to go straight. After a botched stakeout, Lucky finds himself with $500,000 and an accomplice named Angela (Jackie Quinones). Now they are on the run from corrupt cops and Captain Davis (Mario Van Peebles), who has an old score to settle with Lucky. If that's not enough plot, Cass (Shepherd) is a totally unrelated character who likes to torture people. Everything makes sense in the end.... or does it? When the Shepherd character is introduced, the movie goes off the rails. Even though it's a different idea to throw a serial killer into an "ex-con goes straight" story, it doesn't work at all. Snipes has a lot of energy this time around, after glumming it up in "Blade: Trinity" and "The Detonator". Van Peebles' character has a great intro, but his story with Lucky isn't explained too well. One other problem is the constant pop culture references. They mention "Super Size Me", "Catwoman", and even Abu Ghraib prison. It gets tiring fast.

Overall, "Hard Luck" is decent, don't expect it be another Snipes action movie though.

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this is not worth a cinema ticket! if you are trying to find another video that you haven't already seen, well then, i guess it might be an almost value for money affair. there does seem to be a plot in there somewhere but since the movie does not keep you in it's grasp, you find yourself wondering if it is worth keeping the thread. slow moving with average acting from the known personas, this movie does try to cover all the basic elements of a Hollywood flick. there is skin, violence and attempts at fear, drama and mystery; all fall a little short of satisfying. unfortunately, this is not going to get one of my strongest recommendations, but if there is nothing on and the night is lonely - reach for something else unless it is the last vid in the shop.

This Is a disappointing movie with a pale climax and bad acting apart from it's main characters. Direction is bad so as screenplay. Story is missing. A boring movie to watch.

Hard Luck (2006) is a movie I recently watched on Amazon Prime. The storyline follows a man trying to go straight after getting out of jail for selling drugs. An old friend invites him to a strip club and what seems like a good time quickly turns into a drug deal gone wrong. The man trying to go straight finds himself with drugs, a bag of cash and a prostitute...it's going to be hard to not find himself right back in jail.

This movie is directed by and stars Mario Van Peebles (New Jack City) and also stars Wesley Snipes (Blade), Cybill Shepherd (Taxi Driver), Bill Cobbs (Demolition Man), Luis Guzmán (Boogie Nights) and Jackie Quinones (Sick).

The storyline for this movie is very straightforward and nothing special. The acting is fine, Snipes and Guzman were entertaining, but the film was missing something. There is some good dialogue, the "fart" conversation was crazy. The "Are we Dead?" scene was hilarious and the torture scene was interesting; but overall, this movie is disappointing.

I would score this a 3/10 and only recommend watching it if nothing better is available.

Well, I certainly think people look into this movie way too much. I watch all kinds of movies regularly, and this was a great movie. The chemistry between the main characters was really nice. The story line was quite good also. The only part I didn't like is when it cut to the serial killers. They had some bad vibes going on.

Jackie Quinones was very sexy, and Wesley Snipes was super cool. Luis Guzman made a surprise appearance and he really does just seem to be in every movie I watch. Great stuff going on there. There's some good action scenes etc. Overall, definitely worth the watch and 9 out of 10 stars for me.