Hard Times (1975)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Sick Product of a Sick System

Great Film overall

Excellent but underrated film

Magnificent entertainment across the board. Acting, directing, and story all rise to the heights to deliver a quality experience in movie watching. This is a gem and I don't care how many times you see this movie, you will see it again and again guaranteed. Why? It has memorable scenes that are linked by in-between scenes that make you want to view over and over. They are all well done. The depression brought about the title of the movie i.e. "hard times" but then again, there are always people who survive and some do this in the shadows and by preying on others. This be the case here. A street fighter who is just passing through catches an opportunity to make a few bucks as he only has $6.00 left to his name. He has no fear, hesitation or doubt as to what he can do and he just wants to know what the rules are. He then goes from there. It is interesting to point out that this man used to change truck tires for a living before he hit the road. May I point out that that takes enormous, repetitive effort and strength and over time develops your default muscles to a high-honed state of being. This is how Hercules gained his strength too. When he was a boy, his mother required he lift a baby calf over his head ten times before breakfast of which he gladly and easily did. After and over a time, that calf grew into a huge cow but so did Hercules from all that lifting. So it is with this man who packs a power punch and is lean and fast too. What fools his opponents is he is older than they are thus making for high stakes fighting of which we see plenty of. It is also worth mentioning that two other fight scenes were filmed but not included. If they ever find them and then re-release this, they would make millions as this is a beloved classic to all movie lovers. Enjoy Strother Martin, James Coburn, Charles Bronson and quality supporting actors who just make this all make good sense. Great movie to eat a full course meal by and with a tasty drink and snacks to follow for sure. Hard Times is good times guaranteed.

'Boxing pictures' is one of the most popular genres in American cinema. This genre aims to depict class and the tensions arising as a result of the boxer's desire for individual glory and the wider socio-economic forces that shape the fighter's identity. Hard Times has achieved a unique position in the realm of this genre for its effective use of a popular sport to depict tough times in American history and their impact on ordinary people. For his début film, director Walter Hill chose to delineate hardships faced by ordinary people in Louisiana during the Great depression. It was during such depressing times that men were instantly hooked to boxing which provided necessary thrills aimed at entertaining a public which had means to pay for bare knuckle fights. Although it can be said that actor Charles Bronson carried the film on his shoulders, there are some good performances by James Coburn too. Watching their team succeed, one is led to believe that a man has to use his hands as effectively as his mind. One thing which can bother some viewers especially the weaker gender as there are some absolutely negligible roles for women.

In this excellent period piece, a clean shaven Charles Bronson has one of his best ever big screen roles as Chaney, a hard luck loner in Depression era America. He arrives in New Orleans by train and discovers that he can make money using his fists, by becoming a bare knuckled street fighter. He hooks up with a slick gambler named Speed (James Coburn), who arranges his bouts. Things go well for them for a while until Speeds' irresponsible way with money begins causing problems. Speeds' mobster associates lean on him to repay his debts, and a prominent, well dressed gambler named Gandil (Michael McGuire) agrees to foot the bill IF Chaney will take on Street (Nick Dimitri), a fighter from Chicago.This marked the directing debut for a young Walter Hill, who'd achieved some success in Hollywood as a screenwriter, writing or co-writing things such as "Hickey & Boggs", "The Getaway", and "The MacKintosh Man". Here Hill brings his talent for creating striking male milieus to the forefront, telling a story of struggling to survive during a bleak chapter in American history. With the assistance of a solid crew of professionals including editor Roger Spottiswoode, art director Trevor Williams, and director of photography Philip H. Lathrop, he captures on screen an incredible evocation of the N.O. of the 1930s. The music by Barry De Vorzon is wonderful. The fights are well choreographed and always feel very convincing; still, this isn't as violent as some reviews may lead you to believe.The acting is solid all the way down the line, with an assortment of familiar faces to back up the stars. Bronson was still a fine physical specimen in his 50s and delivers a typically low key performance; Coburn is great fun as the outgoing handler. Bronson once again acts opposite his real life spouse Jill Ireland, who plays a feisty love interest. Strother Martin is a delight as always as Coburns' cheery associate. Also appearing are Margaret Blye as Coburns' perky fiancée, Felice Orlandi and Bruce Glover as mobsters, Edward Walsh as the sleazy Pettibon, Robert Tessier as smiling fighter Jim Henry, Frank McRae as a heavy, and, in his film debut, an uncredited Brion James.This is compelling all the way and well worth a viewing for fans of action and drama, with a kick ass final fight between Chaney and Street that works even without music to accompany it. Recommended.Eight out of 10.

This great looking, rather downbeat slice-of-lowlife action picture shows us the grim, dusty Depression era in suitably unglamorous, bled out colors and starkly realistic sets. Everything seems faded, flaking paint, cracking, on the verge of breaking apart - much like America itself at the time. Charles Bronson drifts into New Orleans and joins the underground bare knuckle boxing scene. The laconic Bronson, who has about a hundred words of dialogue in the whole picture, hooks up with fight manager James Coburn, who talks about a hundred words a minute. The contrast between the two extends beyond the verbal - Coburn jangles about energetically, while Bronson is a study in stillness. No wasted motion, no baggage. You get the feeling he could tote his whole world around in one pocket. When Coburn tells him that he lost his fight contract gambling, Bronson looks at him and says one word: "Dumb." It's a stunning under-performance. Coburn is the rushing river and Bronson is a rock. Jill Ireland, Bronson's real-life wife and frequent co-star, appears as a pretty woman who wants more out of life than what the aging, drifting Bronson can offer. Their relationship and chemistry is wonderful, and sad as it quickly becomes obvious that whatever they might have together is temporary. Once again, as everything seems to in this picture, this resonates with the temporary and unstable nature that everything seemed to have during the Depression. It was a dark time, and the Depression colored everything around it, and the picture reflects this in all of its tiny details. Great period film-making, great dialogue and terrific performances all around.