Hard Money Review

Distributor: HIS Video Edition Details: Standard DVD Movie Specs: Genres: Golden Age Classic, Feature Film, Gay Also known as: Mansion Run Time: 59 minutes Rated: X Release Year: 1984 Director: John Christopher Written by: John Christopher, Ceasar Fontana, John Deville Cast: Steve Collins, Brian Hawks, Rick Taylor, Joe Reeves (as Tony Cariso), Danny Combs, Alain Ve Charriere, Donald Davison, Randall Butler (as Tony Kidd), Dayn Kristopher (as Dayn Kristofer), Davin McNeil, Adam Winston Release Specs: Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono Subtitles: none Video: Full Frame, 1.33:1 Video Format: NTSC Format: DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 1

Hard Money is a gay feature film from the late director John Christopher and the writing team of John Christopher, Ceasar Fontana, and John Deville. John Christopher mostly directed straight adult films; only directing two gay films, Centurians of Rome and this one. Sadly, John Christopher appears to have passed on prior to the release of Hard Money since at the end of the film there is a dedication to his memory.

Hard Money is an enjoyable film with a good story and a great atmosphere. There isn't anything new being presented within the story, and the story here has been told countless times before — even in an episode of Scooby Doo, Where Are You? However, a story doesn't have to be new to be good, and sometimes it is the atmosphere in a movie that can make or break a film.

The story for Hard Money is that millionaire Samuel Warren (Rick Taylor) has died while having sex with a prostitute (Alain Ve Charriere). Samuel Warren's lawyer Mr. Jackson (Steve Collins) brings together Samuel's past lovers for a reading of Samuel's will. The will states that one of the past lovers will get the entire multi-million dollar empire. However, each must stay the night in Samuel's estate, and each past lover must complete a challenge over the course of the night to determine the heir.

The locations where John Christopher has chosen to film Hard Money, and Tom Howard's cramped unique camera angles give Hard Money a genuinely creepy feel that perfectly fits the atmosphere of the film. Garth Evans' score adds to the atmosphere that John Christopher and Tom Howard have created for Hard Money.

Sadly, John Christopher died of AIDS at the age of 31 after directing Hard Money. The adult industry was in the throes of the change from film to video productions. We will never know whether John Christopher would have continued to improve his craft or whether he would have started making subpar video productions as way too many other film age directors did in the video age. Regardless, Hard Money was a high note to leave on. Both gay and straight viewers should find Hard Money to be entertaining.

HIS Video has done a frustrating job with their DVD release of Hard Money. Hard Money was shot on film, and this reviewer suspects that HIS Video has used a video master, albeit one that is in good shape. Hard Money is presented in the Academy aspect ratio of 1.33:1 in 480i. The image quality is good with artifacts and print damage present. The colors in the film are good but some, scenes can be a little darker than likely intended.

The frustrating aspect of HIS Video's DVD release of Hard Money is that the film has been heavily cut on this release. The original listed run time for Hard Money is 75 minutes, and this version runs for 59 minutes. This means that roughly 16 minutes of the original film is missing from this release. The second sex scene, with Davin McNeal, is missing the portion with a dildo and a sling. This reviewer is unsure what else is missing from this release.

Hard Money is presented with an English Dolby Digital 2.0 monaural audio track. The sound quality for Hard Money is good. There is an omnipresent hiss throughout the film; however, the dialog in the film is clear and easy to understand at all times.

HIS Video has only included a photo gallery as an extra for this release.

The late John Christopher's final film is a high point in his directorial career. He has taken the age-old a group of people are listed in a will but have to spend the night in a house to secure the inheritance premise and kept it fresh in Hard Money. As a result, Hard Money is an enjoyable gay hardcore feature film. HIS Video's DVD release of Hard Money is frustrating, the video and audio quality is good; however, roughly 16 minutes of the film has been cut.

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