Director: Brett Ratner
Writer: Joel Cohen, Alex Sokolow (Screenplay)
Starring: Chris Tucker, Charlie Sheen, Heather Locklear, Elisa Neal, Paul Sorvino, David Lee McLain
Plot: Sought by police and criminals, a small-time huster makes a deal with a TV newsman for protection.
Tagline – They’re getting the lowdown on the high price of living.
Runtime: 1 Hour 37 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Forgettable
Story: Money Talks starts as small-time criminal hustler Franklin Hatchett (Tucker) gets busted while TV reporter James Russell (Sheen) is trying to get a big story on criminals. When Franklin gets caught in the middle of a grand escape, he becomes targeted by the police for killing their own, only Franklin didn’t have anything to do with the escape, turning to James to help clear his name.
James plans to hide Franklin for the weekend by taking him to his wedding, which sees him trying to clear his name and clean up the mess that was created during the escape, now the unlikely couple are forced to work together from the dangerous criminals hunting for him.
Thoughts on Money Talks
Characters – Franklin Hatchett is a fast-talking small-time hustler that has been making a living on the streets getting tickets and just doing the odd deal, while illegal, it isn’t hurting anybody, he does get caught and sent to prison, only to get involved into the escape. He constantly gets himself in trouble by not being able to keep his mouth shut. James Russell is a TV reporter that is always looking for a big story, his latest centres around Franklin and once Franklin gets out of prison, he is the only one he can turn to, James is always ready to help his career no matter who he steps over. Grace and Paula are the loved ones of the two, they both get frustrated by the actions of their partners.
Performances – Chris Tucker is an actor that has a borderline between being entertaining or annoying, here he hits the annoying more often than not. Charlie Sheen doesn’t bring much to the film either, never looking like a desperate enough as a reporter. Sadly, nobody else gets a chance to do much in the film either.
Story – The story here follows a small-time criminal that must turn to an ambitious reporter in hopes of clearing his name after a ruthless criminal and the police start trying to hunt him down. This is a story that tries to play into the buddy cop idea that have worked very well in the past and if you get a great partnership, you have something entertaining to watch, sadly, the two just don’t click they you would imagine and just become just a set of random scenes. The whole story just does seem to have a lot missing to make it feel connected which only just disappoints. By the time the story has finished it does seem to leave us trying to put together the bland story.
Action/Comedy/Crime – The action in the film isn’t very impressive, while the comedy just misses more often than getting close to hitting, while the crime world again just could have been gritty that we see.
Settings – The film is set in LA, which is always going to be filled with the criminal activity next to the luxury side of the world.
Scene of the Movie – Helicopter jump.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The lack of chemistry between Sheen and Tucker.
Final Thoughts – This is a forgettable action comedy that doesn’t have any redeem qualities anyway and will just leave you trying your hardest to remember anything that happens.
Overall: Forgettable.
