Rent Hard Times (1975)

Solid Genre Piece From A Great Director - Hard Times review by GI

Walter Hill's directorial debut and fairly typical of his output through the 70s and 80s. Like all of his films it's a genre piece, in this case a contemporary western set in the 1930s, although it lacks the unique European style he bought to his later and better films. Charles Bronson, an unlikely star if there ever was one, plays a drifter, Chaney, who arrives in Louisiana and is looking to make money as a bare knuckle fighter. He teams up with Speed (James Coburn), a local fixer and soon proves he's a tough fighter especially when he beats the previously unbeaten local champ. But Chaney is soon embroiled in Speed's problems as he is in debt to big hoodlum and Chaney is forced to fight a super tough Mob fighter from Chicago to get Speed out of trouble. The film is well produced and it's a solid drama focusing around two or three big brawls all of which are predictably won by the laconic Chaney. Bronson's wife Jill Ireland has a small and insignificant role as a love interest and Strother Martin is underused as Speed's partner in crime. The fight set pieces are reasonably well done but the film lacks any sense of itself and suffers by deliberately keeping the lead character of Chaney as just a drifter with no back story. It's entertaining in it's way but definitely a 70s film and shows it.

Classic Bronson - Hard Times review by PT

If you like Charles Bronson you'll dig this, as simple as. Bronson plays the quiet drifter Chaney, who is a street fighter who fights for money in underground bouts. Chaney beats all who he goes up against. But then they bring in a guy hewn from granite by train, supposedly unbeatable. Can Bronson beat this superman?

Reminiscent of his character in the magnificent seven where Bronson showed his soft side with the children of the village, Hard Times witnesses his compassion in the shape of caring for a stray cat. To reiterate, if you like Bronson its a no brained, rent it.