I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Good movie but grossly overrated

A Masterpiece!

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Hard Times (1975) **** (out of 4)Criminally underrated gem set in Louisiana during the Depression. A hustler named Speed (James Coburn) strikes gold when he meets bare- fist fighter Chaney (Charles Bronson). The two strike up a business relationship as the loner Chaney tries to woo a lady (Jill Ireland) but it doesn't take long for Speed to run into some crime people that he owes money.HARD TIMES is a pretty unique gem that came out of nowhere and quickly became a modest hit, got some good reviews and remained a favorite to fans of the cast. With that said, Walter Hill's film has never really gotten the credit it deserved because it really is one of the best films of its type and features two terrific performances by the leads. Yes, both leads played this type of characters before and yes there were many films set during the Depression but everything here just rings so fresh and original with the cast really taking their familiar roles and making them seem fresh and new.There are so many things that make this film so memorable but one is the perfect setting and atmosphere created by Hill. You really do feel these characters and the setting that they are trapped in. The Louisiana settings are just perfect to look at and they really become a character themselves as they're so important to building up the other characters. The music score is extremely good, the cinematography perfectly captures everything and there's no question that Hill handles the screenplay without any problems.Then, there's Bronson and Coburn. Both actors were used to playing these type of roles but they go beyond anything they had previously done. Bronson can play quiet perfectly and I think this is something that gets overlooked. It's not easy being quiet and managing to still handle scenes but he does it without a problem. That quiet nature perfectly fits the character and everything you need to know the actor tells you with his eyes. Coburn is fiery, feisty and constantly talking and he does it with ease. The chemistry between the two is terrific. Ireland turns in what is probably her best performance and we get nice support from the likes of Strother Martin, Bruce Glover and Margaret Blye. Why has HARD TIMES been overlooked all these years? Perhaps it's due to Bronson's 80s movies where he became known as an exploitation star. I don't know but the film is certainly one of the best of its type of manages to be a true gem.

'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.

Hard Times is a story about what Cajuns did for entertainment in 1933. Street fights were held with big money being wagered by spectators and principal participants on the outcome of these confrontations.Charles Bronson plays the part of Chaney, the main principal in the story. He begins with only $6.00 to his name and after crossing paths with James Coburn (Speed), sets out on adventurous times.Hard Times portrays the American con while dealing with the rigors of the era's loan sharks. Coburn is Chaney's manager; and being the ultimate con man, is finally backed into a corner from which there appears no escape.Bronson portrays great knowledge of the boxing sport; the stance, defense, and hitting from the shoulder to name a few fundamentals. His girlfriend (Jill Ireland) is a delightful addition to the story.Robert Tessier puts on an excellent performance as one of the "hitters" in the story while Lou Antonio makes a couple of cameo appearances in the beginning.Ironically Chic Gandil, Coburn's chief rival, was the name of one of the Chicago White Sox baseball players involved in the infamous 1919 world series scandal in which several White Sox players were permanently thrown out of baseball for throwing the series to the Cincinnati National League ball club.Hard Times will definitely entertain you and the Cajun bar juke box scene is priceless.It should also be noted that 20 some odd years before, a teenage Jack Dempsey in Manassa, Colorado would essentially do the same thing to earn money. Nothing personal, strictly money !!!

Walter Hill has a way of stripping action movies down to the bare minimum, both in terms of dialogue and story. There is hardly a story here at all. Broke drifter rides the rails into depression era New Orleans, and starts winning his way through the local bare knuckle boxing community. Simple. In Hill's hands, it's a masterpiece, and a large part of that is down to Bronson who was such an all encompassing screen presence. Bronson was 54 when this was filmed, but physically he looked about thirty, and he carried the fight scenes off with a certain style that even stands up today. His fight with Jim Henry (Tessier)is equally as good as the final battle with Street, and there are a several other good set piece fights as well as these two. Coburn deserves a mention as his wheeler dealer opportunistic fixer, and he steals a few of the non fight scenes, but Strother Martin as the opium addicted cut man, Poe, is equally deserving of praise "You are not, Mr Chaney, what Speed unfortunately refers to as a bleeder". Bronson moves through the film with a reserved laconic nonchalance in the non action scenes, but comes to life when he starts throwing punches. There's some funny and quotable dialogue, a scene where some less than sporting southern redneck gentlemen are given their come-uppance at Chaney's hands, and a no frills ending that makes you wish there was a Streetfighter II. But that would have spoiled things. Watching this is a great way to spend an evening, and this could be Charles Bronson's finest hour.