Hard Time (film)

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Hard Time

Hard Time is a 1998 American made-for-television action crime film directed by and starring Burt Reynolds. It premiered on TNT on December 13, 1998 and has a runtime of 90 minutes. The film features Burt Reynolds, Charles Durning, Robert Loggia, Billy Dee Williams, Mia Sara, Roddy Piper, and Buck Taylor. It was produced by Larry Levinson Productions, with music by Snuff Garrett, Clarke Rigsby, and Kevin Stoller, cinematography by Suki Medencevic, and editing by Glenn Farr.

Plot
Logan McQueen is a Vietnam War veteran and Miami police officer who chases two thieves who steal a briefcase. In the chase, one thief knocks him down, grabs his gun, and shoots the other thief, Pepe. Logan is jailed while the case is investigated, but the mob posts his bail and wants him to recover the missing money from the stolen briefcase. He begins to suspect corruption inside his own police department, but the mob gives him a chance to uncover the truth.

Production and reception
The film was written by David S. Cass Sr. and Steve Wesley. Reynolds also directed and chose to set the film in Florida, though it was shot in Los Angeles to save costs. He liked the idea of a character who changes his mind about capital punishment and named the hero Logan McQueen as a nod to Steve McQueen. The film was released on DVD on August 3, 2004.

Sequels
Hard Time was intended as a trilogy and led to two sequels:
- Hard Time: The Premonition (1999), directed by David S. Cass Sr., about a city terrorized by a serial bomber.
- Hard Time: Hostage Hotel (1999), also known as Hide and Seek, directed by Hal Needham, which features a dramatic hotel hostage situation. It was Hal Needham’s last film as a director before his death in 2013.