Hard Times Review: Walter Hill and Charles Bronson’s Depression-Era Bare-Knuckle Brawler

“Everyone has a plan ’till they get punched in the mouth.” They’re the flamboyant words of boxer Mike Tyson. Still, they could have rolled sarcastically from the lips of Chaney (Charles Bronson), the main character of Hard Times.

While many depression-era movies are about the struggles of down-on-their-luck urchins warming themselves by trash barrels on fire in an alleyway, here the period is just a backdrop.

As critic Pauline Kael pointed out, the economic depression is a shorthand explanation and easy sympathy for why the mysterious Chaney turns his balled-up fists into wads of cash.

The film’s origins, too, have a humble feel.

After Walter Hill established himself as a screenwriter, Larry Gross and AIP Pictures (the project later moving to Columbia) offered him the chance to pick one of his scripts and sit in the director’s chair.

Hill adapted a screenplay (by Bryan Gindoff and Bruce Henstell) known as The Streetfighter.

He and Gordon moved the setting to New Orleans, and he slid the story into the past while incorporating elements of the western genre.

But while Hill’s experience helped him touch up the script, he was green at directing. He was concerned he wouldn’t shoot the film well and had to confront the challenge of coaxing performances from the actors to match the movie’s tone.

Still, Hill’s debut was successful. Hard Times had an easy ride at the box office. It cruised to a cool ~$26.5 million on a ~$3.1 million budget (about a third of that going to Bronson’s fee).

And critics were receptive. The late Roger Ebert hailed Bronson’s “definitive performance.” At this writing, the film holds a 94% critical rating on film review site Rotten Tomatoes.

But the action genre has come a long way since Hard Times. Approaching its 50th anniversary, can the film’s punches still land?

The Plot of Hard Times:

When the mysterious Chaney (Charles Bronson) uncovers a local underground boxing match, he watches the fight. Hustler Speed’s (James Coburn) fighter loses.

Bemused at Speed’s fighter’s loss, Chaney convinces a skeptical Speed he can do better. He gives Speed his only $6 and asks him to bet it for him against the man who bested Speed’s “hitter.” Speed agrees.

When Chaney easily wins the match, Speed realizes he’s just found the perfect new partner.

Along with cutman Poe (Strother Martin), Chaney and Speed set off for the New Orleans fight scene, ruled by businessman Chick Gandil (Michael McGuire).

Chaney courts the down-and-out Lucy Simpson (Jill Ireland) during his downtime.

The rest of the main cast Includes:

• Margaret Blye as Gayleen Schoonover, Speed’s girlfriend

• Michael McGuire as Chick Gandil

• Felice Orlandi as Le Beau

• Edward Walsh as Pettibone

• Bruce Glover as Doty

• Robert Tessier as Jim Henry

• Nick Dimitri as Street

• Frank McRae as Hammerman

• Maurice Kowalewski as Caesare

• Naomi Stevens as Madam

• Lyla Hay Owen as Waitress

• John Creamer as Apartment Manager

• Robert Castleberry as Counterman

• Becky Allen as Poe’s Date

• Thomas Jefferson (uncredited cameo)[5]

The Good Things:

Bronson’s Charisma and Crazy Physique, +2 Points

Before we can talk about anything else in this film, we have to gawk at just how the hell a could-be grandpa like Bronson plays the meanest of the street toughs.

Despite being ~52 years old at the time of filming, Bronson appears the testament of biological age vs. chronological age (though even the buffed-out Bronson can’t have the odd proportions of these too-long gorilla arms in this DVD artwork.)

We are used to celebrities like The Rock or Mark Wahlberg maintaining action-star physiques into their 50s, but this was the 1970s. Apparently Bronson’s old/school training regime of watching his diet and classic exercises like running, push-ups, and rope climbing carved him that way.

Director Hill had feared Bronson was too old for the role. But Bronson’s spry-for-his-age persona is an asset. Not knowing Chaney’s origins, we fill in the blanks of a streetwise older man who has lasted the years with the wisdom in his knuckles.

Due to his difficult past, professional wrestler Roddy Piper was an inspired stand-in for an everyman Joe America in John Carpenter’s They Live. And on a similar line, perhaps Bronson’s past – the 11th of 15 children in the family and living in extreme poverty, a former miner, and

WW2 veteran – gave him authenticity in filling out the grittiness of the part.

And Hill’s script (which Bronson loved and why he picked the movie) lends Bronson a hand.

Chaney’s blunt and to the point, but his humor comes out in well-delivered quips.

Hail Speed, the Classic Hustler, + 2 Points

James Coburn’s tall and slippery Speed frequently lacks money but never runs out of something to say.

The loquacious gambler comes to life in the hands of Coburn. He finds the tilted moxie in his gestures and line delivery of a confident man whose inability to know when to quit might be the one thing that propels him into staying alive.

A man teetering on the edge of success or disaster, Speed is an entertaining gambling junkie.

A Fun Trio, +2 Points

The triangle of Chaney, Speed, and Poe is a winning formula.

Hill pairs his driven, quiet hardman Chaney with the nonstop chattering, self-destructive Speed, giving them a perfect foil.

And despite the strength of the partnership, the movie would be slightly empty without the off-kilter wiseman Poe. His long and formal speech contrasts the wily rantings of Speed and the quiet of Bronson.

And when there’s friction between Chaney and Speed, Poe helps persuade one to concede to the other.

Keep it Moving Pacing, +2 Points

From the opening setup that makes for a quick partnership to the final fight, the script never drags.

By the film’s ~24th minute, we’re all the way in New Orleans, learning about the next fighter Speed is lining up for Chaney to crush.

In a lesser version of the film, that script milestone could have been the fortuitous meeting of  Chaney and Speed. But Hill’s economy uses every minute of screentime.

And there’s a healthy balance of screentime between action sequences (fistfights), Speed and Poe’s antics, and Chaney’s courtship of Lucy.

Fun Ending, +1 Point

**Spoiler Alerts Here**

The ending finds a scrap of poignancy in an otherwise pure entertainment picture.

Chaney has just saved Speed’s life, rescuing him from the loan sharks and Chick Gandil. But like a western hero, he’s ready to cut ties and leave New Orleans behind for new surroundings.

Yet Chaney, with a hint of vulnerability, remembers the cat he adopted and pays Speed and Poe to care for it.

Speed, recognizing the moment as the last time he may ever see Chaney, says, “We oughta say something.” But Chaney, of course, offers only a wry smile.

And as Chaney departs, all Speed and Poe can do is marvel. They are almost like horse breeders who just had the greatest steed they’d ever see run flee the track for greener racetracks.

The Not as Good Things:

Action That’s a Little Old-School, -2 points

As you’d expect, the pace of the fighting can look dated compared to current action films.

There are plenty of punch combinations and novel settings, like a cage fight. Still, the contests are battles of rugged toughness more than choreographed fights with harrowing moments like you could see today.

But it only drags the film’s appeal down so far. Since it depicts bare-knuckle fighting in the 1930s, the less-over-the-top battles seem fitting, and they match the desperation of the depression.

Tension Between the Fighters, -0 points

The movie could have taken the opportunity to hype up the fights between Chaney and his opponents to make it more personal or more clearly contrasted.

For example, in the final battle, Speed’s life is on the line. There’s plenty at stake should Chaney lose.

But the film doesn’t take the opportunity to set up a match between, say, an aging Chaney’s experience and a young, too-fast-for-him fighter he’ll have to outwit. While it’s a battle with Street, a known fighter out of Chicago Gandil has gone to great expense to hire, he’s not a specific problem for Chaney’s abilities or could-be limitations.

These changes would have meant revising the script, as you’d make these alterations after Bronson’s casting (a young fighter was the original aim). So I’ll hold back from criticizing the movie for not making the shifts.

But while the film is solid as-is, these little conflicts can add to the story and characterization.

Go Watch Hard Times

Total Arbitrary Points Score: 7 Points

Hard Times is a fun watch that blends a boxing film with a hustler/gambler movie. If you’re into classic, retro stuff, check it out.

The script glides, and the lead characters, with throwback performances from Bronson and Coburn, fly. It ends more poignantly than you’d expect; and the trio of fighter, hype man, and southern gent doctor gel together.

Casual fans of today’s special effects monsters and sophisticated choreography may need more to hook them. Still, the script is a spine many modern action films ride on.

Hard Times is rated PG (probably PG-13 in today’s ratings) and directed by Walter Hill.

You can watch it free on TubiTV or rent it from streaming sites.

You can watch the trailer here.

Disclaimer:

The factual information about the film in this review was gathered through online sources, such as Wikipedia, IMDB, or interviews. Misrepresentations and errors are possible but unintentional.