''Free Money'' (also known as ''Double Nickels'') is a 1998 Canadian

black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

film directed by

Yves Simoneau Yves Simoneau (; born October 28, 1955) is a Canadian film and television director. Simoneau was born in Quebec City, Quebec. Recognition His acclaimed 1986 crime drama '' Intimate Power (Pouvoir intime)'' garnered multiple Genie Awards nominat ...

, produced by Nicolas Clermont and written by Anthony Peck and Joseph Brutsman, and starring

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

in his penultimate film (his final screen appearance was in 2001's ''

The Score The Score may refer to: Films and television * The Score (1978 film), ''The Score'' (1978 film), a 1978 Swedish film, released in Sweden as ''Lyftet'' * The Score (2001 film), ''The Score'' (2001 film), a 2001 crime drama film starring Robert De Ni ...

''). The film also features

Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He is known as a leading man in film and television. Sheen has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award as well as ...

Thomas Haden Church Thomas Haden Church (born Thomas Richard McMillen; June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom '' Wings'' and playing the lead for two seasons in ''Ned & Stacey'' (1995–1997)'','' Church became known for his film work ...

Mira Sorvino Mira Katherine Sorvino (; born ) is an American actress. She rose to stardom with her performance as a prostitute in the comedy film ''Mighty Aphrodite'' (1995), which won her both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Academy Award for Best S ...

and

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (17 July 1935 – 20 June 2024) was a Canadian actor. With a career spanning six decades, he received List of awards and nominations received by Donald Sutherland, numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award ...

. The film focuses on a

prison warden The warden ( US, Canada) or governor ( UK, Australia), also known as a superintendent (US, South Asia) or director (UK, New Zealand), is the official who is in charge of a prison. Name In the United States, Mexico, and Canada, warden is the m ...

who illegally executes prisoners. When one of his sons-in-law is arrested and imprisoned for a failed

train robbery Since the invention of locomotives in the early 19th century, trains have often been the target of robbery, in which the goal is to steal money or other valuables. Train robbery was especially common during the 19th century and is commonly asso ...

, the warden plans to kill him. But an

FBI Agent The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

interferes with his plans.

Plot

Sven "The Swede" Sorenson is a malicious warden of the county, illegally executing some of his worst prisoners. Everybody in town hates and is scared of him, except his twin daughters. Swede's twins tell their father they are pregnant, lying in order to manipulate him into forcing their dim boyfriends, Bud Dyerson and Larry, into

shotgun marriage A shotgun wedding is a wedding arranged in response to pregnancy resulting from premarital sex. The phrase comes from the figurative imagining that the relatives of the pregnant bride threaten the reluctant male groom with a shotgun in order to ...

s. Sven also turns his sons-in-law into slave laborers, so Bud hatches an escape plan to rob a train carrying old bills to the mint for burning. Larry is his reluctant accomplice. When Bud is captured, he is railroaded into Swede's small-town jail by the Judge and Swede. His death looks certain, until he hatches yet another plan that requires Larry's help. Meanwhile, the Judge's daughter and FBI Agent Karen Polarski, come to his aid.

Cast

as Warden Sven 'The Swede' Sorenson *

as Bud Dyerson *

as Judge Rolf Rausenberger *

Martin Sheen Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans over six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and ...

as New Warden *

as Larry *

as Karen Polarski *

David Arquette David Arquette (; born September 8, 1971) is an American actor, producer, and retired professional wrestler. Arquette's breakout came with his starring role as Dewey Riley in the slasher film '' Scream'' (1996), a role which he later reprised i ...

as Ned Jebee *Holly L. Watson as Liv *Christin Watson as Inga

Production

In spite of the high-profile cast, the movie was produced independently from Hollywood, by the Canadian studio Filmline. It was filmed in the country from August 1997 to October 1997, in the Eastern Townships of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. Locales used in the movie include Sutton Junction, Vale Perkins, Highwater, Mansonville, and

Mont Owl's Head Mont Owl's Head is a mountain in Potton, Quebec, in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada. The mountain has a height of . A ski area, with the same name, was developed on it by Fred Korman and opened in 1965 with 3 lifts (2 chairlifts and 1 t- ...

Casting

John Cusack John Paul Cusack ( ; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor. With a career spanning over four decades, he has appeared in over 80 films. He began acting in f ...

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his leading and supporting roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama. He has received List of awards and nominations received by A ...

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...

Alicia Silverstone Alicia Silverstone ( ; born October 4, 1976) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the thriller ''The Crush (1993 film), The Crush'' (1993), earning the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and gained further pro ...

and Japanese singer

Seiko Matsuda , known professionally as , is a Japanese singer-songwriter, known for being one of the most popular Japanese idols of the 1980s. Since then, she has continued to release new singles and albums, go on annual summer concert tours, perform at wi ...

were all originally attached to the project. In a 2008 interview, actor

reflected, "At the exact same time I was offered the lead in ''Free Money'' with Charlie Sheen and Marlon Brando, I was offered a role in ''

Saving Private Ryan ''Saving Private Ryan'' is a 1998 American epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. Set in 1944 in Normandy, France, during World War II, it follows a group of soldiers, led by Captain John Miller ( Tom Hanks) ...

''. And I chose to march off to Canada to work with Marlon Brando. I had a manager at the time—we were soon parted—but he was like, "You're gonna go do a movie with Marlon Brando that more than likely no one will see, vs. a really nice role in a movie that's probably going to win

Best Picture The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

next year?" And he was right! But the experience working with Marlon in his penultimate performance was irreplaceable. And I spent 10, 12 weeks with him in Quebec, and it was a remarkable experience, and I wouldn't trade it for any credit on my résumé." The film was able to receive certification as a Quebec production since one of the leading cast members,

, was a resident of the province. In addition to this, several supporting roles went to local actors. Producer Nicolas Clermont noted that the accents of the local actors could be integrated into the story, since it was set in a small, unidentified border town.

Reception

In October 1999, Troy Patterson of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' gave ''Free Money'' a mixed review. He wrote, "this is a screwball heist farce of the

Coen Brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (198 ...

school, but it’s too diffuse and thus too screwy." He had a positive view of Brando's presence in the film, writing "on the other hand, Brando, who flails about like a deranged walrus, hasn't seemed so unabashedly playful since ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

''." When ranking Marlon Brando's 40 film performances in 2024, '' IndieWire'' placed ''Free Money'' 29th. They state, "this clunky, Coens-esque caper comedy sports an incomprehensible plot and thuddingly broad humor; but the worst thing about it is that it wastes one of Brando’s last lead performances."

References

External links

* * {{Yves Simoneau 1998 films 1998 black comedy films 1998 crime comedy films 1990s prison films Canadian crime comedy films English-language Canadian films Films directed by Yves Simoneau Films scored by Mark Isham Canadian black comedy films 1990s English-language films 1990s Canadian films Films about father–daughter relationships Films about twin sisters Films about train robbery Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation Films shot in Quebec English-language black comedy films English-language crime comedy films