Hard Luck: Grade B

B

Hard Luck (2006)

Wesley Snipes, Mario Van Peebles, Jackie Quinones, James Hiroyuki Liao, Cybill Shepard. Directed by Mario Van Peebles.

Wesley is a former drug dealer trying to go straight but manages to be present at a big deal that goes wrong and he escapes with the cash, Quinones his hostage. Mario is the cop in hot pursuit. In a very creative sub-story, Shepard and Liao are psycho serial killers whose lives implausibly intersect with Snipes’ escape. There is also some really original photography in the early car chase. But overall, it is a standard cops and robbers movie, filled with clichés. How many times do we have to see a pimped out black guy with dark glasses in a smoky blue strip club, distracted by the girl on the pole while he postures with his low-life buddies? Hey Mario, it’s been done! Neither Snipes nor Van Peebles show much acting talent, although Quinones, Liao, and Shepard do. There is enough creativity in the story line, photography, music, and characters to keep the viewer engaged.