Themes: Members of the Press, Unlikely Friendships
Main Cast: Chris Tucker, Charlie Sheen, Heather Locklear, Gerard Ismael, Paul Sorvino
Release Year: 1997
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A low-level criminal and a struggling newsman become unlikely partners in this comedy. Franklin Hatchett (Chris Tucker) is a fast-talking hustler who runs a small time ticket-scalping business. A TV news story by reporter James Russell (Charlie Sheen) brings Franklin's business to the attention of the police, and he finds himself under arrest. While being transported by police bus from one lock-up to another, Franklin is handcuffed to Raymond Villard (Gerard Ismael), a high-level jewel thief from Europe. Villard's henchmen stage a raid in which they explode the vehicle, killing most of the passengers (including two cops), but freeing their partner. Franklin is able to escape but learns that he's now wanted as a cop killer. Hoping to clear his name, Franklin approaches Russell with a deal -- if he'll hide him from the police and help him prove that he had nothing to do with the deadly explosion, he'll give the reporter an exclusive story, which could help Russell boost his sagging career. Money Talks also features Heather Locklear as Russell's fiancée Grace, and Paul Sorvino as Grace's father, who is quite impressed by Franklin's story that he's related to Vic Damone. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
John Marshall - Art Director, Valerie McCaffrey - Casting, Art Schaefer - Co-producer, Sharen Davis - Costume Designer, James M. Freitag - First Assistant Director, Brett Ratner - Director, Mark Helfrich - Editor, Chris Tucker - Executive Producer, Amy Henkels - Executive Producer, Jay Stern - Executive Producer, Lalo Schifrin - Composer (Music Score), Gabriel Solana - Makeup, Robb Wilson King - Production Designer, Russell Carpenter - Cinematographer, Robert Primes - Cinematographer, Walter Coblenz - Producer, Tracy Kramer - Producer, Kim Ornitz - Sound/Sound Designer, Chuck Picerni, Jr. - Stunts, Buddy Joe Hooker - Stunts Coordinator, Joel Cohen - Screenwriter, Alec Sokolow - Screenwriter
Man prates, but gold speaks. [1666 G. Torriano Italian Proverbs 179]
Money speaks in a Language all Nations understand. [1681 A. Behn Rover II. iii. i.]
When money talks it often merely remarks ‘Good-by’. [1903 Saturday Evening Post 5 Sept. 12]
The whole story took on a different complexion for Joan. Money talks. [1915 Wodehouse Something Fresh iii.]
‘At least I assume they are millionaires?’ ‘That is what they would like you to assume, certainly. And if money talks,‥they are certainly making the right amount of noise.’ [1984 A. Brookner Hotel du Lac (1985) xi.]
Why did all these people look the other way for so long? Money talks. Or, with Enron, shouts. [2002 Washington Post 15 Jan. E3]
Related to: money; power
Bibliography of major proverb collections and works cited from modern editions is available here.
Wealth has great influence, as in Big contributors to campaigns are generally rewarded with important posts--in politics money talks. The idea behind this idiom was stated by Euripides in the fifth century b.c., and some 2,000 years later Erasmus spoke of "the talking power of money" (Adagia, 1532). The precise current locution, however, only began to be used about 1900.
This film is about a car wash hustler named Franklin Hatchett (Chris Tucker), who gets dimed out to the police by an investigating news reporter named James Russell (Charlie Sheen), from channel 12 News. After Hatchett is busted, he is thrown in jail. There, he is escorted to prison handcuffed to Raymond Villard (Gérard Ismaël), a French inmate in jail for smuggling diamonds. The two are thrown on the prison bus when Villard's partner in crime, Dubray (Frank Bruynbroek), follows out plans to free Villard by blowing up the bus. The escape plan works and Hatchett, Villard and Dubray escape the fire and the police by boarding an awaiting helicopter. While on the helicopter, Hatchett overhears the location of the stashed diamonds. Hatchett then jumps out of the helicopter after hearing the discussion between Villard and Dubray to get rid of him. Now Hatchett's name and face are all over the news as an accessory to the prison break. Hatchett has to clear his name but he needs help. He calls on the only person who can help, the one that dimed him out, James Russell.
Russell just got fired from his job at Channel 12 News, the fact he had the Top Story calling him on his phone asking for help improved his chances of getting his job back, after all it was Sweeps Week! The two rampage all over the city to find clues to clear Hatchett's name, which eventually got Russell's name involved and sprayed all over TV land. Now in the process of trying to clear both their names, the two found something more valuable than diamonds. Soon a gang war breaks out at a local colliseum when two separate gangsters brawl in gun fights and threatening Frank's life. Luckily Frank was saved by two of his friends who used a bazooka and a machine gun to kill any thug who was shooting at Frank. James kills Raymond by placing grenades under the chopper, blowing it up along with Villard. In the end both of their names are cleared, Frank and James save two of the diamonds as jewelry pieces and James marries Grace with Frank as his best man.
