On a Walter Hill kick, I revisited his directorial debut, Hard Times (1975; aka The Streetfighter), which I remember as being very decent and on rewatch, remains very decent. Set in Depression-era New Orleans, Chainey (Charles Bronson) steps off the train looking for work. Coming across a bare-knuckled boxing match in a warehouse, Chainey throws in his talents with a manager, the fast-talking Speed (James Coburn) who sets up the “pick up” fights they can earn money from. There’s a leisurely, unhurried pace to the movie and the dynamic between the taciturn, reserved Bronson and the garrulous, showboating Coburn is entertaining (a classic ‘buddy movie’ pairing that would reappear in later Walter Hill movies like 48 HRS). The fights are very effective, though the choreography and impact feel like they are from the preceding era; a hophead doctor is employed (played by the delightful Strother Martin) but we don’t see him work much with little blood or physical damage in evidence on Bronson’s indomitable, mythic character. There’s a good sense of place in the New Orleans setting with era-appropriate music performed throughout from gospel singers in churches to jazz bands in bars; the film’s tone isn’t as rollicking or nostalgic as The Sting nor is it as downbeat or depressing as Thieves Like Us. It’s a tough world where you can only rely on your fists and your independence – and maybe a little loyalty in the end. Jill Ireland co-stars as a penniless dame who Bronson’s character is interested in. Hard Times is an efficient, solid boxing drama with quasi-western genre moves as befitting Hill’s continuing interests as an action auteur, aided considerably by the talents of Bronson and Coburn. Available to rent/purchase on iTunes. Recommended.
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