MovieChat Forums > Who'll Stop the Rain (1978) Discussion > Surprisingly good. (Spoilers)

Surprisingly good. (Spoilers)

posted 13 years ago by Zando777
4 replies | jump to latest

Yeah, it's dated, it's from 1978. But it has a gritty, tarantino-esque, realistic flavor to it. (I think True Romance was partly based on this, in several respects. Tarantino used to work at a video store, watching lots of films, I'm sure this was one of them.)

Moriarty was annoying, as usual, but let's face it -- many people are dumb and clueless like him. He was sure he was "doing the right thing," because of the money involved, but didn't think it through. Ray Hicks was a cool anti-hero -- tired of taking *beep* willing to fight for a live worth living.

The early torture scenes were very realistic/disturbing, as was the depiction of actual big-time drug dealers -- willing to kill anyone to increase the profit margin.

Film is flawed in many ways, but also very watchable. No regrets about watching this, unlike many films I see today, where I just want my two hours back.

[–] buby1987 13 years ago

I saw this when it came out in August 1978 -- twice. I loved it then, and it still holds up for me. It certainly captures its time well. Moriarty was earmarked for stardom, but he never hit the big time. This was Nolte's first big serious role in a major film (he did The Deep a year before, and that was lightweight trash). In fact, I was reluctant to see Who'll Stop the Rain at first because my opinion on Nolte's talent was based solely upon The Deep. But once I saw "Rain," I realized that Nolte is on the same level as De Niro, Hoffman and Pacino. I tried to get my friends to see this film, but it left town after two weeks, and no one was interested. Ultimately, with cable, video and revival theaters, Who'll Stop the Rain gained something of a cult following -- Tarantino among them.

When I first saw the film, the theater was almost empty. It was competing with Animal House, Grease and Foul Play -- audiences wanted to feel good, and avoided darker films of this sort.

[–] WarpedRecord 13 years ago

You were lucky to see this in the theater, empty though it was. I remember reading about this when it came out, but I don't think it played anywhere near the small town where I grew up. I did catch it on HBO, where it played quite a bit in the early '80s, and I've since bought it for myself.

This is the type of film that a lot of respectable actors got their start in during the late '70s. "Rolling Thunder" is another great title that wasn't a big hit, but those who like it (Tarantino certainly comes to mind) absolutely love it. The plots of these would be kind of a hard sell with most audiences, but studios still financed them and up-and-coming actors like Nolte, Moriarty and Sharkey honed their skills in movies like these. Tuesday Weld, an established actress with an independent streak, is also excellent here.

If there's anything today as quirky and entertaining as films like this, I'm just not seeing it.

[–] TaxPayer99 10 years ago

"Nolte's talent was based solely upon The Deep."

Rich Man, Poor Man was Nick's breakthrough, not The Deep.

[–] gioconda91423 9 years ago

Correct. He was a mini-series pretty boy