Synopsis

As torrential rain floods the Indiana town of Huntingburg, armored-truck driver Tom tries to protect $3 million from a ruthless gang that has ambushed his route. Cut off by rising water, collapsing buildings, and corrupt lawmen, Tom joins forces with church caretaker Karen. Their desperate struggle unfolds through submerged streets, a flooded church, and increasingly dangerous attempts to escape with the money.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was originally titled "The Flood." The name was changed to emphasize its heist-thriller angle rather than suggesting a conventional disaster movie.

• John Woo was once attached to the project, but left to make "Face/Off." The production later moved forward with Mikael Salomon.

• Filming combined location work in Huntingburg, Indiana, with a large $6 million flood set built inside an aircraft hangar in Palmdale, California. The hangar had previously been associated with B-1 Lancer bomber production.

• Much of the flooding had to be created in a controlled environment because filming in naturally rising water would have been too unpredictable. The production reportedly spent months shooting inside the Palmdale hangar.

• At the time of production, the film was reported to have used the largest painted scenic backdrop ever made for a motion picture.

• Made on an estimated $70 million budget, "Hard Rain" earned about $19.9 million domestically after its January 16, 1998, theatrical release. Its later home-video circulation helped it find a more appreciative audience.