Hard Times (1975 film)
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| Hard Times (also released as 'The Streetfighter') | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Walter Hill |
| Produced by | Lawrence Gordon |
| Written by | Walter Hill (screenplay) Bryan Gindoff (story & screenplay) Bruce Henstell (story & screenplay) |
| Starring | Charles Bronson James Coburn Jill Ireland Strother Martin Margaret Blye |
| Music by | Barry De Vorzon |
| Cinematography | Philip H. Lathrop |
| Editing by | Roger Spottiswoode |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 8, 1975 (USA) |
| Running time | 93 min |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Hard Times is a 1975 movie starring Charles Bronson as Chaney, a street fighter who travels to Louisiana during the Great Depression to make his living in illegal boxing matches. It is notable for being Walter Hill's directorial debut.
Contents |
[edit] Characters
The main characters are:
- Chaney (Charles Bronson) -- a man of few words and no past, devoid of any permanent relationships and of limited financial means.[1]
- Spencer 'Speed' Weed (James Coburn) -- a gambler who manages Chaney.
- Lucy Simpson (Jill Ireland) -- a married woman Chaney takes up with.
- Poe (Strother Martin) -- a medical school dropout who attends Chaney's cuts
- Jim Henry (Robert Tessier) -- a feared street fighter.
- Street (Nick Dimitri) -- a professional brought in to meet Chaney in the climactic fight.
[edit] Plot
Chaney, down on his luck during The Great Depression, arrives into town in the boxcar of a freight train. He comes upon a bare-knuckled street fight run by gamblers. Betting the few dollars he has on himself, Chaney defeats his opponent with a single punch.
This impresses a fast-talking gambler named Speed, who knows a good thing when he sees it and wants to be Chaney's manager. They travel to New Orleans, where Speed intends to enter Chaney against the top local fighters at long odds. Chaney agrees, but cautions Speed that he wants only to make a little money and "fill a few in-betweens," then move on.
Chaney proves up to the task, which is good for Speed, who is deep in debt with bookmakers and loan sharks. He promises a mobster to pay up in two days. But soon after Chaney defeats the top street fighter in town, Speed gambles away his share of the winnings.
The previous champion's manager wants Chaney to now fight for him. Speed is willing because it will square his debts, but Chaney says no.
A hardened professional named Street is sent for from Chicago, and an attempt is made to draw Chaney into a winner-take-all fight. When this fails, Speed is taken hostage. If there is no fight, Speed will be seriously hurt or killed for the money he owes.
Chaney gives in. He is forced not only to fight, but to risk all of his own previous winnings as well. Street is his toughest opponent by far, but eventually Chaney gets the upper hand. Speed's life is spared.
True to his word, Chaney decides the time has come to move on. He gives Speed a generous undeserved amount of the money and walks back toward the railroad tracks which brought him.
[edit] Analysis
Pauline Kael called the setting of Hard Times “elaborate period recreations that seem almost to be there for their own sake” (6). The film is about the personalities of local street fighters and their agents; a group that has always been on the outskirts of society. On the other hand, setting the film in the Depression might have been a way for Hill to make Chaney a more sympathetic character. Kael explains, “Put [Charles Bronson] in modern clothes and he’s a hard-bitten tough guy, but with that cap on he’s one of the dispossessed—an honest man who’s known hunger” (6).
[edit] References
- Kael, Pauline. “The Visceral Poetry of Pulp.” CSUN Cinematheque Notes: Hard Times, The Driver. 2005: 6-7.
