Yes, that’s Kelsey Grammer holding a machine gun in the picture above. This is a screenshot from a film called Money Plane, which is about a plane where people gamble on everything from Texas Hold ‘Em to Russian Roulette to how long it will take a man to die after being bitten by a cobra. A group of thieves are recruited to rob the money plane. Grammer plays the man who ordered the robbery, a total psycho who is named Darius Grouch III but who prefers to be called The Rumble.
And listen, there’s a lot of things that you can say about Money Plane. Does the plot always make sense? Of course not. Heist films aren’t supposed to make much sense. Does the film look cheap? You bet. This isn’t a Hollywood blockbuster. This film is closer to be a mockbuster. But, dammit, any movie that features Kelsey Grammer loudly announcing, “I’m the baddest motherfucker around!” in that voice of his is automatically going to be one of the best of the year.
Well, maybe not the best. As I said, Money Plane is a low-budget action movie and, watching it, you get the feeling that the film was largely made as a lark. It’s a silly movie but, when taken on its own very undemanding terms, it’s actually pretty fun. Unlike a lot of action films, Money Plane has a sense of humor and one gets the feeling that the cast and crew were in on the joke. One could imagine a director like Steven Soderbergh taking this material and ruining it by trying to pretend as if there was more going on underneath the surface of the film than there actually was. Money Plane, on the other hand, makes no apologies and doesn’t pretend to be anything that it isn’t.
Here’s a few things I liked about Money Plane:
1) One of the thieves was played by Katrina Norman and she got to beat up some sleazy men. That’s always fun to watch.
2) The great Thomas Jane had a small but key role as the best friend of the main thief (who was played by former wrestler Adam Copeland).
3) I couldn’t help but be amused by the fact that the famous Money Plane was just an ordinary airplane, as opposed to some sort of gigantic floating fortress.
4) I also found myself strangely amused by the fact that the inside of the plane appeared to be significantly bigger than the outside.
5) When it was announced that the next game would be “Texas Hold ‘Em,” a dude wearing a cowboy hat stood up and was like, “This is my game!”
6) Jackson Pollock and several other painters are referred to as being “a bunch of bitches,” which amused me as an art history major.
7) Adam Copeland’s ex-wife is played Denise Richards, who once again proves that she’s a better actress than she’s frequently given credit for.
8) And, of once again, how can you not love a film that has Kesley Grammer cursing up a storm and running around with a machine gun?
I recommend Money Plane. It’s enjoyably silly.
Through the Shattered Lens 