Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Ein stahlharter Mann Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 27, 2019

Walter Hill's "Hard Times" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Swiss label Explosive Media. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; alternate opening; and a collection of vintage promotional materials for the film from around the world. In English, with optional English or German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The drifter

Walter Hill’s directorial debut, Hard Times, has the attitude of a classic western and the raw elegance of an early noir film. Had it been shot in black-and-white and released during the late '40s or early '50s, right now it would be ranking pretty high on a number of prestigious lists that group great noir films.

The film is set during the Depression Era and follows closely a drifter named Chaney (Charlie Bronson) who makes ends meet as a street fighter. In the city of New Orleans, he strikes a simple deal with local gambler and ‘manager’ Speed (James Coburn) -- he would set up fights with local talent for him, Chaney would win them, and the two will split the profits. A small portion of the dough would also go to Poe (Strother Martin), a disgraced ‘physician’ with an addiction problem who would keep an eye on Chaney’s wounds. Speed does not disappoint and arranges a number of good paying fights, including one in which Chaney trashes the notorious local bully Skinhead (Robert Tessier), who has been filling the pockets of another gambler named Chick Gandil (Michael McGuire). But Speed also slips back into his old habits and quickly loses everything he has made in an underground gambling joint, and then while trying to avoid a couple of old and very persistent debt collectors confronts Chaney and accuses him of not being fair to him when splitting their profits. Before moving on to the next town, Chaney decides to give Speed one more chance to get out of the black hole he has fallen into and agrees to fight a tough import (Robert Tessier) from Chicago who has been hired to recover Gandil’s losses.

The script has some pretty rough spots -- with the biggest one involving a penniless prostitute (Jill Ireland) who can’t decide if she should start a relationship with Chaney as he keeps going back to her for no apparent reason -- but the fights are decent and the atmosphere is great. In fact, it could be that the film still holds well after all these years precisely because it does not try too hard to get everything right. (In a long and very interesting interview on this release, Hill credits the great director Raoul Walsh as a major inspiration and this is hardly surprising because Hard Times actually has exactly the type of rough edge many of his classic westerns have).

During the pre-production process apparently there were concerns that Bronson might have been too old to play the drifter, but it is precisely his jaded appearance that makes him fascinating to behold. Indeed, the more time one spends watching him destroy his opponents and then quietly remove himself from the noise and drama that surround his partner, the more one begins to understand that he isn’t an ordinary street fighter who is risking his life without realizing the consequences of his actions.

The film ends as abruptly as it begins and without connecting all of the dots, but it actually feels right. Why? Because it is set in that kind of a murky, chaotic, full of ugly contrasts era. There are too many disillusioned people, tragic stories that no one seems willing to hear, and big thick shadows hiding the full extent of the misery that has brought the country to its knees.

Hill and cinematographer Philip Lathrop gave the film a very interesting period look. It is characterized by warm and slightly faded primary colors and a very light yellowish font that aged paper typically has.

Ein stahlharter Mann Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Walter Hill's Hard Times. arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Explosive Media.

The release is sourced from the same 4K remaster that previously Eureka Entertainment and Twilight Time used for their Blu-ray releases of the film in the United Kingdom and the United States, respectively. My one criticism of this remaster pertains to the rather aggressive nature of its grading, which has introduced some visible crushing. The period look of the film, which favors warm and slightly faded primaries, hides most of it rather well, but trained eyes will easily spot its presence (see examples in screencaptures #12 and 14). The rest looks good. Density and fluidity, in particular, are vastly improved, and on a larger screen the difference is pretty dramatic (this is the old DVD release from Sony Pictures). There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Image stability is excellent. When the film was remastered, all age-related imperfections were also removed as best as possible. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Ein stahlharter Mann Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

This release does not have the original English Mono track that is included on Eureka Entertainment's release of Hard Times, and this is a bit disappointing. On the other hand, there isn't a whole lot of 'splitting' going on that actually negatively impacts the intended period atmosphere. Even where Barry De Vorzon's score is meant to make an impression, I don't think that the 5.1 track delivers any serious contrasts. On the contrary, at times it actually sounds like the 5.1 track functions as a Mono track. All else, including the dialog, sounds great.

Ein stahlharter Mann Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NOTE: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.

• U.S. Trailer - original trailer for Hard Times. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Alternate Opening - slightly different opening without text/credits. Music only. (3 min, 1080p).

• Still Gallery - a gallery of vintage promotional materials for White Line Fever from around the world. With music. (3 min, 1080p).

• Cover - reversible cover.

Ein stahlharter Mann Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I tend to side with folks who have argued that Charlie Bronson's best performance is in this film, and that without him Walter Hill's career probably would have been quite different. This recent release from Swiss label Explosive Media is sourced from the 4K master that Sony Pictures prepared in the United States a couple of years ago. It is also Region-Free, so folks that reside in North America and wish to have a copy of the film in their collections can consider it as an alternative to the out-of-print release that Twilight Time produced. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.