Hard Times (1975 film)
Encyclopedia
Hard Times is a 1975 film
starring Charles Bronson
as Chaney, a drifter who travels to Louisiana
during the Great Depression
and begins competing in illegal bare-knuckled boxing
matches. This was Walter Hill's directorial debut.
), a mysterious, down-on-his luck drifter during the Great Depression
, arrives in town in the boxcar of a freight train. He comes upon a bare-knuckled street fight
run by gamblers. After the bout, he follows one of the fight's organizers, the fast-talking "Speed" (James Coburn
). Chaney asks Speed to set up a fight. Betting his few dollars on himself, Chaney wins with a single punch.
Speed wants to become Chaney's manager. They travel to New Orleans, where Speed intends to enter Chaney against local fighters at long odds. Chaney takes a cheap apartment. At a diner, he meets Lucy Simpson (Jill Ireland
), a lonely woman whose husband is in prison. They begin an uneasy affair.
Chaney cautions Speed that he wants to make a little money to "fill a few in-betweens," and then move on. Speed recruits a cutman
, the medical school dropout Poe (Strother Martin
). A recovering opium
addict, Poe is relieved when Chaney accepts him.
Speed plans for Chaney to take on the city's undefeated street fighter Jim Henry (Robert Tessier
), an intimidating brawler bankrolled by wealthy businessman Chick Gandil (Michael McGuire). Gandil suspects a setup, so he insists Speed bet $3,000 up front. Speed is forced to obtain a loan from local mobsters. Chaney takes on Jim Henry and proves up to the task, knocking him out.
The trio of Chaney, Speed and Poe celebrate at a juke joint
with their lady friends. Speed gets into a dice game and gambles away his share of the winnings. The mobsters stalk Speed because of the money he owes.
Gandil offers money so Chaney will fight for him. Speed is willing because it will square his debts, but Chaney refuses. He and Speed have a bitter argument. Lucy also splits with Chaney because of his emotional distance and lack of commitment.
Gandil decides to hire Street (Nick Dimitri
), a black leather coat wearing, top street fighter from Chicago. He fails to draw Chaney into a winner-take-all bout, so he pays off Speed's debt and takes him hostage. If there is no fight, Speed will be killed for the money he owes.
Poe visits Chaney at his apartment and tells him the trouble Speed is in. Chaney comes to Gandil's warehouse where the fight will take place. Not only is he forced to fight for Speed's life, but must risk all of his own winnings. Street is his toughest opponent and the two knock each other down, but eventually Chaney gets the upper hand and wins a grueling bout. Speed's life is spared.
True to his word, Chaney decides the time has come to move on. He gives Speed and Poe a generous amount of the money and walks alone towards the railroad tracks. As he disappears into darkness, Speed says, "He sure was something."
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).
Roger Ebert
in his Oct. 14, 1975 review of Hard Times in the Chicago Sun-Times called it "a powerful, brutal film containing a definitive Charles Bronson performance."
players banned from baseball after the Black Sox Scandal
when they were accused of conspiring with gamblers and deliberately losing the 1919 World Series.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
starring Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
as Chaney, a drifter who travels to Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and begins competing in illegal bare-knuckled boxing
Bare-knuckle boxing
Bare-knuckle boxing is the original form of boxing, closely related to ancient combat sports...
matches. This was Walter Hill's directorial debut.
Characters
The main characters are:- Chaney (Charles BronsonCharles BronsonCharles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
) -- a man of few words and no past, devoid of any permanent relationships and of limited financial means. - Spencer "Speed" Weed (James CoburnJames CoburnJames Harrison Coburn III was an American film and television actor. Coburn appeared in nearly 70 films and made over 100 television appearances during his 45-year career, and played a wide range of roles and won an Academy Award for his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction.A capable,...
) -- a gambler who manages Chaney. - Lucy Simpson (Jill IrelandJill IrelandJill Dorothy Ireland was an English actress, best known for her many films with her second husband, Charles Bronson.-Life and career:Born in London, England, Ireland was the daughter of a wine importer...
) -- a married woman Chaney takes up with. - Poe (Strother MartinStrother MartinStrother Martin was an American actor in numerous films and television programs. Martin is perhaps best known as the prison "captain" in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, where he uttered the line, "What we've got here is...failure to communicate."-Early life:Strother Martin Jr. was born in Kokomo,...
) -- a medical school dropout who attends Chaney's cuts - Jim Henry (Robert TessierRobert TessierRobert W. Tessier was an American actor and stuntman who was best known for playing heavy, menacing characters on film and television.-Early life:...
) -- a feared street fighter. - Chick Gandil (Michael McGuire) -- a wealthy businessman and rival to Speed who bankrolls Jim Henry.
- Street (Nick DimitriNick DimitriNick Dimitri is a stuntman and actor best known as Charles Bronson's veteran bare-knuckle black leather coat wearing opponent in the climax of "Hard Times", often considered one of the best fights ever put on film. The 6' 2", 200 pound Dimitri was a U.S. Navy veteran and former muscleman in a Mae...
) -- a 3/4 length black leather coat wearing professional brought in to meet Chaney in the climactic fight.
Plot
Chaney (Charles BronsonCharles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
), a mysterious, down-on-his luck drifter during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, arrives in town in the boxcar of a freight train. He comes upon a bare-knuckled street fight
Street fighting
Street fighting is a colloquial term used to denote unsanctioned, illegal in some countries, hand-to-hand fighting in public places, between individuals or groups of people....
run by gamblers. After the bout, he follows one of the fight's organizers, the fast-talking "Speed" (James Coburn
James Coburn
James Harrison Coburn III was an American film and television actor. Coburn appeared in nearly 70 films and made over 100 television appearances during his 45-year career, and played a wide range of roles and won an Academy Award for his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction.A capable,...
). Chaney asks Speed to set up a fight. Betting his few dollars on himself, Chaney wins with a single punch.
Speed wants to become Chaney's manager. They travel to New Orleans, where Speed intends to enter Chaney against local fighters at long odds. Chaney takes a cheap apartment. At a diner, he meets Lucy Simpson (Jill Ireland
Jill Ireland
Jill Dorothy Ireland was an English actress, best known for her many films with her second husband, Charles Bronson.-Life and career:Born in London, England, Ireland was the daughter of a wine importer...
), a lonely woman whose husband is in prison. They begin an uneasy affair.
Chaney cautions Speed that he wants to make a little money to "fill a few in-betweens," and then move on. Speed recruits a cutman
Cutman
A cutman is a person responsible for preventing and treating physical damage to a fighter during the breaks between rounds of a full contact match such as a boxing, kickboxing or a mixed martial arts bout. Cutmen typically handle swelling, nosebleeds and lacerations...
, the medical school dropout Poe (Strother Martin
Strother Martin
Strother Martin was an American actor in numerous films and television programs. Martin is perhaps best known as the prison "captain" in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, where he uttered the line, "What we've got here is...failure to communicate."-Early life:Strother Martin Jr. was born in Kokomo,...
). A recovering opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
addict, Poe is relieved when Chaney accepts him.
Speed plans for Chaney to take on the city's undefeated street fighter Jim Henry (Robert Tessier
Robert Tessier
Robert W. Tessier was an American actor and stuntman who was best known for playing heavy, menacing characters on film and television.-Early life:...
), an intimidating brawler bankrolled by wealthy businessman Chick Gandil (Michael McGuire). Gandil suspects a setup, so he insists Speed bet $3,000 up front. Speed is forced to obtain a loan from local mobsters. Chaney takes on Jim Henry and proves up to the task, knocking him out.
The trio of Chaney, Speed and Poe celebrate at a juke joint
Juke joint
Juke joint is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African American people in the southeastern United States. The term "juke" is believed to derive from the Gullah word joog, meaning rowdy or disorderly...
with their lady friends. Speed gets into a dice game and gambles away his share of the winnings. The mobsters stalk Speed because of the money he owes.
Gandil offers money so Chaney will fight for him. Speed is willing because it will square his debts, but Chaney refuses. He and Speed have a bitter argument. Lucy also splits with Chaney because of his emotional distance and lack of commitment.
Gandil decides to hire Street (Nick Dimitri
Nick Dimitri
Nick Dimitri is a stuntman and actor best known as Charles Bronson's veteran bare-knuckle black leather coat wearing opponent in the climax of "Hard Times", often considered one of the best fights ever put on film. The 6' 2", 200 pound Dimitri was a U.S. Navy veteran and former muscleman in a Mae...
), a black leather coat wearing, top street fighter from Chicago. He fails to draw Chaney into a winner-take-all bout, so he pays off Speed's debt and takes him hostage. If there is no fight, Speed will be killed for the money he owes.
Poe visits Chaney at his apartment and tells him the trouble Speed is in. Chaney comes to Gandil's warehouse where the fight will take place. Not only is he forced to fight for Speed's life, but must risk all of his own winnings. Street is his toughest opponent and the two knock each other down, but eventually Chaney gets the upper hand and wins a grueling bout. Speed's life is spared.
True to his word, Chaney decides the time has come to move on. He gives Speed and Poe a generous amount of the money and walks alone towards the railroad tracks. As he disappears into darkness, Speed says, "He sure was something."
Analysis
Pauline KaelPauline Kael
Pauline Kael was an American film critic who wrote for The New Yorker magazine from 1968 to 1991. Earlier in her career, her work appeared in City Lights, McCall's and The New Republic....
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).
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
in his Oct. 14, 1975 review of Hard Times in the Chicago Sun-Times called it "a powerful, brutal film containing a definitive Charles Bronson performance."
Trivia
"Chick" Gandil was the name of one of the eight Chicago White SoxChicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
players banned from baseball after the Black Sox Scandal
Black Sox Scandal
The Black Sox Scandal took place around and during the play of the American baseball 1919 World Series. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were banned for life from baseball for intentionally losing games, which allowed the Cincinnati Reds to win the World Series...
when they were accused of conspiring with gamblers and deliberately losing the 1919 World Series.