Hard Times (1975)

Directed by: Walter Hill | 90 minutes | crime, drama | Actors: Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Jill Ireland, Strother Martin, Margaret Blye, Michael McGuire, Felice Orlandi, Edward Walsh, Bruce Glover, Robert Tessier, Nick Dimitri, Frank McRae, Maurice Kowalewski, Naomi Kowalewski, Naomi Stevens

1933, New Orleans. A train slowly enters the station. On board is the enigmatic Chaney (Charles Bronson). Where he comes from? Nobody knows. Was he recently released from prison? Or is he simply on the run? The Great Depression, the financial crisis that began in the late 1920s, still grips the country. Maybe the recession has something to do with it. One thing is clear. Chaney has come to The Big Easy to box. Out of love for the sport, but also to earn money.

To get into the track, he enlists the help of shady boxing manager Speed ​​(James Coburn). Chaney is purely about the fights, Speed ​​handles all the finances. However, the fact that he does not always observe the rules gradually causes the necessary problems. Gambling debts, shadowy constructions in the background and cheating on the floor, much to his dismay, cause the decrepit-looking Chaney to slowly drift away from the boxing essence. His sense of honor barely keeps him upright. But then he is forced to fight one of the best boxers in the country for a large sum of money. He has no option but to agree.

‘Hard Times’ shows an almost romantic side of boxing. The sports choreographies are without a doubt beautiful. The locations show a gray, but nostalgic part of the United States. Empty factory halls, old shipwrecks and rainy parks form an attractive backdrop, partly due to the damp light. Yelling bystanders form a natural fighting ring. The boxing matches are tough, without a referee. Because of the sound effects, the blows seem to hit really hard. In addition, the film regularly changes camera angle during the fights, causing the fierceness of the image to splash. As a spectator you are automatically drawn into the film.

On the other hand, ‘Hard Times’ remains somewhat remote from a dramaturgical point of view. Chaney, with that typically weathered Bronson head, remains a silent enigma throughout the film. While it gives him a cool look, his character also becomes quite inscrutable. His simultaneously fighting for a woman’s heart can be seen as an attempt to make him more human. That storyline, however, never rises above the level of a subplot, so that the opposite is achieved. A scene where Chaney takes care of a young kitten is much more effective by comparison. Only in the otherwise beautiful final chord are his true intentions made public.

As a result, ‘Hard Times’ just lacks the right intensity that characterizes a boxing film like ‘Raging Bull’. The film can therefore better be seen as a sketch of the environment and life in the 1930s. The refreshingly slow tempo and raw realism, without major ‘Rocky’ interventions, fit the film perfectly in that perspective.