Money Talks Blu Ray Review (Warner Archive Collection)

Money Talks is a 1997 action comedy film is directed by Brett Ratner (Rush Hour trilogy, Red Dragon, Tower Heist, X-Men: The Last Stand, and The Family Man). It was written by Joel Cohen (Toy Story, Hot Money, Cheaper by the Dozen, Evan Almighty, Daddy Day Care, and the Garfield franchise) and Alec Sokolow (Toy Story, Hot Money, Cheaper by the Dozen, Evan Almighty, Daddy Day Care, and the Garfield franchise). Steve Chase was the original director for this movie. Filmmaker Antwone Fisher did some uncredited work on the script for this. The budget was $25 million and it grossed $48+ million worldwide at the box office. Franklin Hatchett (played by: Chris Tucker from the Rush Hour trilogy, Friday, Silver Linings Playbook, Jackie Brown, Air, The Fifth Element, and Dead Presidents) is a slick small-time hustler who ends up owing lots of money to a vicious mobster named Carmine (played by: Damian Chapa from Blood In Blood Out, Under Siege, Street Fighter, and Sometimes They Come Back… for More). The police get informed of his petty crimes by a local news reporter named James Russell (played by: Charlie Sheen from Platoon, Major League, Wall Street, Red Dawn, Lucas, The Wraith, Young Guns and Hot Shots!). When placed on a prison transport unit, he is handcuffed to a French criminal named Raymond Villard (played by: Gérard Ismaël from The Hitchhiker, Day of Reckoning, and Lonely Hearts). The bus, prisoners, and police officers are attacked on a bridge with mercenaries killing everyone except for Franklin and Villard. Since Franklin was handcuffed to Villard, he gets to escape with the brutal criminals. They escape by helicopter with Villard’s henchman Dubray (played by: Frank Bruynbroek from Godzilla, Red Dragon, and After the Sunset) who helped his boss flee the scene.

Franklin overhears them talking about some stolen diamonds and their current location. Franklin manages to jumps out of the helicopter after they try to kill him. Franklin’s face is all over the news and he’s accused of killing everyone in the earlier disaster. He is forced to call Russell who just got fired from his Channel 12 News job by his boss Barclay (played by: David Warner from The Omen, In the Mouth of Madness, Tron, Titanic, Scream 2, Ice Cream Man, Body Bags, and Twin Peaks). Russell somehow convinces Franklin to hide with him because the next week is Sweeps Week. He is using him to get his job back with an exclusive interview. They hide out for James’s wedding rehearsal dinner. He ends up meeting James’s fiance Grace (played by: Heather Locklear from The Return of Swamp Thing, Melrose Place, Spin City, Firestarter, Dynasty, and T.J. Hooker), Grace’s parents Guy (played by: Paul Sorvino from Goodfellas, The Birthday Cake, Repo!, The Gambler, Cruising, Dick Tracy, Reds, The Cooler, The Rocketeer, Nixon, and The Stuff), and Connie (played by: Veronica Cartwright from Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, Alien, Birds, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Nightmares). He pretends to be singer Vic Damone’s son while trying to hide his identity from everyone. Two police detectives Williams (played by: Daniel Roebuck from The Munsters, The Devil’s Rejects, Halloween franchise, Bubba Ho-Tep, Final Destination, The Late Shift, The Fugitive, and U.S. Marshals) and Pickett (played by: Paul Gleason from The Breakfast Club, Trading Places, Not Another Teen Movie, Abominable, Die Hard, Van Wilder, and Maniac Cop 3) track down Franklin’s girlfriend Paula (played by: Elise Neal from Hustle & Flow, Scream 2, Tragedy Girls, The Grudge, How to be a Player, and Paid in Full) and try to find their main suspect. Franklin now must avoid the mob, the police, and the dangerous Villard. Can he find the diamonds before them? or Will him and Russell kill each other before it’s all over????

Money Talks is so much fun and very entertaining. It’s a great mix of comedy and action. Despite neither main character being involved in law enforcement, I loved the buddy cop vibe in Money Talks. It’s one of my personal favorite sub-genres when it comes to cinema. Chris Tucker is hilarious here, he damn near steals every scene that’s he’s in. His character doesn’t know when to shut up and that’s probably why he’s always in trouble. Charlie Sheen is a great counterpart as your typical straight man in a comedy. Those two balance each other out and their chemistry is fantastic in Money Talks. Gérard Ismaël is decent but I feel like he’s one of the weaker villains in these types of films. Money Talks would have been even better with someone else in the role. I actually preferred a few of the side bad guys over him in this to be honest. This comedy had a real solid supporting cast that includes Damian Chapa, Elise Neal, Paul Gleason, Daniel Roebuck, Paul Sorvino, Veronica Cartwright, Heather Locklear, David Warner, Larry Hankin (Breaking Bad), Faizon Love (Friday), and Michael Wright (OZ). This was director Brett Ratner’s first collaboration with Chris Tucker before the Rush Hour trilogy. I think this one gets better and better with each rewatch. The replay value is very strong with Money Talks, it’s a blast. RECOMMENDED!!!!

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from the Warner Archive Collection. This 1080p (2.39:1) transfer looks way better than expected for a 90’s catalog title. I’ve seen or owned it on various other formats over the years and this is the best that Money Talks has ever looked on home video so far. It has an English Audio 5.1 stereo track included on the original batch that’s been discontinued. It’s still solid but I know that the upcoming re-issue will knock it out of the park.  NOTE: This was supposed to have an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track so that’s why it was pulled from everywhere so quick. They are working on a replacement disc right now for it. It has English SDH subtitles. The only extra here is a “Theatrical Trailer”. It will be available everywhere soon, CHECK IT OUT!!!!