16. Prop Money

The Economics of Everyday Things

Freakonomics Network

Business

4.8 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 4 September 2023

⏱️ 19 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Who makes the stacks of fake cash used in movies — and how do they stay clear of counterfeit law? Zachary Crockett follows the money.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Who's that in you in?
0:05.0	Oh, hell no.
0:07.0	You know, it.
0:08.0	You listen to me right now.
0:09.0	You put that bomb down and turn it up.
0:10.0	We have to jump.
0:12.0	You crazy, man,
0:12.6	jump it.
0:13.6	Come on, use your jacket.
0:15.6	And turn them all over!
0:17.6	Lado!
0:18.6	Crazy hair!
0:19.6	You're hearing a scene from the 2001 action comedy Rush Hour 2.
0:28.0	In this climactic moment, two detectives, played by Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker,
0:33.6	narrowly escape a bomb explosion at a casino.
0:36.7	As they descend to safety on a makeshift zip line,
0:39.9	around a billion dollars in cash rains down on the streets below.
0:44.0	I don't want it so bad.
0:46.0	The sequence was filmed at a Las Vegas hotel in late 2000.
0:53.5	At the shoot, everything went according to plan.
0:56.9	But in the following weeks, something strange happened.
1:01.1	Some of the fake prop money the film had used began to show up at local businesses.
	...

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