Product Description

Charles Bronson demonstrates what tough is as he plays a drifter caught up in the fight game during the Great Depression.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4800 in DVD
• Brand: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT
• Released on: 1999-04-06
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Portuguese
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Thai
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 94 minutes

Amazon.com
Walter Hill's colorful directorial debut has quite a cult following for its toughness and violence; it may well be his best film, in fact. Charles Bronson plays a silent street fighter in New Orleans in the '30s managed by the cool James Coburn. Jill Ireland, Strother Martin, and Michael McGuire costar in this spare existential Depression dirge. It owes a lot to its noir origins that Hill adores so much, yet there's something very fresh and vital about its subject and approach. That's really what made so many of these films from the '70s so endearing. An added bonus is the love and affection displayed by the real-life husband and wife team of Bronson and Ireland. --Bill Desowitz

Customer Reviews

"Hard Times" is a Favorite
Charles Bronson stars in this depression-era movie about a man who is forced to take up bare-knuckled fighting to earn enough money to survive. Bronson arrives in New Orleans with a few coins in his pocket and no prospects. Fortunately for him (and unfortunately for his opponents) he comes across a betting fighting match hosted by two local sharpies. Bronson studies the situation with cold calculating eyes and realizes that he could earn some much needed food money with a few bouts of his own. Introducing himself to one of the local sharpies, (James Colburn, who is superb in his role of a quick talking con-man in constant trouble with the local mob), Bronson and Colburn set out to win a small fortune on the match-making skills of Colburn and the hard punishing fists of Bronson.

Although clearly aging, Bronson is a natural and beleiveable fighter, with a lean muscular body certainly capable of knocking out his opponents. With initial success, Bronson is matched with increasingly tougher opponents, culminating in two "championship" bouts that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Intertwined between the bouts is Bronson and his co-star Jill Ireland (his real-life wife), and their effort to establish a relationship.

I won't spoil the ending for you by revealing the ending, but I will say that if you missed this movie when it was first screened in the mid-1970's, you don't want to miss it again! Although it does not belong on your "classic" shelf, "Hard Times" is one of Charles Bronson's best movies and it will be a treat to view on a Saturday night.

Jim Konedog Koenig

One of Bronson's best
Hard Times (known as 'The Streetfighter' here in Australia) is Bronson's best movie alongside Death Wish. The film is set in the 1930's during the depression, and its recreation of this period is outstanding. This is not a movie for hard-core action/fighting fans. Like 'The Karate Kid' and 'Rocky', Hard Times has a real story and interesting characters. Bronson's character, Chaney, is humble, quiet, a bit of a loner - this contrasts nicely with James Coburn's portrayal of Speed, a compulsive gambler who sets up fights for Bronson. Strother Martin and Jill Ireland (Bronson's real-life wife until her death some years ago) are also great in their supporting roles. Nice to see an old forgotten classic like Hard Times released on DVD.

Where is the special edition ? This is Bronson's finest moment
First of all, Columbia-Tristar released a WS and FS edition (2 sided disc) of the DVD on its initial release but reissue with a full screen only. So those interested in the title must search for the older release which contains the WS edition.

This is a great film, one of Bronson's best and also directorial debut of the great Walter Hill. Set in depression era New Orleans, where Bronson had to earn his dollar by "street fighting". James Coburn and Jill Ireland costar as his manager/promotor and love interest (Obviously) respectively.

I would like to give this DVD a full 5 stars, but with its lack of special features, I can only give 3 stars. A must have DVD though, the 2.0 mono sound is fine and the WS image is ok but deserved to be cleaned up a bit.

Now with all of the principal stars gone (Bronson, Coburn, Ireland), I am surprised that Columbia has yet to issue a special edition of this movie, while releasing several titles over and over (Fifth element, Leon The Professional, Jumanji, legend of Zorro, etc). Please issue a special edition, as this is more deserving movie. I don't think there is any special edition DVD of Bronson's movies. Not even the first Death Wish. I hope Hard Times will be the first in many special edition DVDs to be released. Remember, Charles Bronson is one of the biggest movie star in the world.