Hard Luck is a truly odd film. It stars Wesley Snipes and is written and directed by Mario Van Peebles. At first glance, it's a combination of a typical Snipes action movie and the modern-day blaxploitation films that Van Peebles specialises in. Snipes portrays an ex-con desperately trying to go straight, who innocently blunders into a drug deal/police sting gone wrong, and is forced to go on the run with a Cuban stripper he's only just met (played by Jackie Quinones). Cue shoot-outs and car chases. So far, so expected.
However, the movie then begins cutting away to an entirely separate 'Saw'-type storyline happening many miles away, concerning a couple of backwoods serial-killers who abduct and torture people to death, filming themselves while doing so. And in the first indication that this film is going to be out of the ordinary, one of these snuff producers is played by Cybill Shepherd - yep, Cybill Shepherd!!!
Meanwhile, back in the Snipes storyline, the crime aspect is practically forgotten and it almost turns into a standard road movie, complete with a cameo from veteran character actor Luis Guzman as an extremely camp gay porn baron. Eventually the two separate plot lines converge when Snipes crosses paths with Shepherd at the movie's climax.
As a result, Hard Luck is bizarre but strangely fascinating. It really is like watching two entirely different movies that have been edited together. There's even a third major plot line - with Aubrey Dollar as a teenager travelling across America with her boyfriend - that has mostly been left on the cutting room floor.
The stunt casting of Shepherd works really well, and she's clearly enjoying herself in a real change-of-pace role. However, there's something slightly distasteful about the movie's treatment of female lead Quinones. Seemingly not content that she's playing a stripper (her introductory scene has her performing a pole dance, immediately followed by a naked lap dance) who wears very revealing and skimpy clothing outside work, the script keeps coming up with really lame excuses to get her character to completely disrobe several times throughout the film. In fact, so lame are the reasons for her stripping off, that the writers are clearly admitting how gratuitous it is, in a half-hearted attempt at self-referential parody. You can almost imagine them whispering in your ear as the film unfurls - "yeah, we know there's absolutely no good reason for her to get her kit off in this scene, but look, that's one shapely butt she's got."
Quinones' entry on the IMDb reveals only a few minor credits, and this is her biggest role so far. It's most likely a case of a struggling unknown actress accepting an exploitative role that other, more established actresses would probably have kept clear of. Quinones is actually very good in the part, proving that she's not only extremely easy on the eye, but has got more-than-capable acting abilities as well. Hopefully we'll see more of her (no pun intended).
