Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Hard Times Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 3, 2017

Walter Hill's "Hard Times" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interview with director Walter Hill; new video interview with producer Lawrence Gordon; new video interview with composer Barry De Vorzon; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The partners

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 several 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 several 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 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 feels right. Why? Because it is set in that kind of 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.

Hard Times 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 Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same 4K master that was prepared by Sony Pictures in the United States and used by Twilight Times for the initial local release of Hard Times. I have only one minor complaint: While depth and especially fluidity are outstanding, the black levels appear slightly elevated and in certain areas there is pretty obvious crushing. As a result, some nuances appear to have been lost. However, the film has a very specific period appearance that favors warm and slightly faded primaries that tend to successfully hide plenty of the less obvious crushing, with the indoor footage in particular benefiting the most. Otherwise, the technical presentation is indeed outstanding. Grain is nicely exposed and wonderfully resolved, and there are absolutely no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Image stability is excellent. Finally, there are no distracting debris, damage marks, cuts, stains, or warped/torn frames to report. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: The screener that I was sent to review is Region-Free).

Hard Times Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the original Mono track and was very impressed. I have a very old DVD release of this film in my library that Sony Pictures produced a long time ago and was able to run some direct comparisons. It is not only Barry De Vorzon's score that benefits greatly from the lossless treatment; there are entire sections where it is incredibly easy to hear that in the low/mid ranges there is a better balance that results in an all-around fuller sound. Also, clarity seems better. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report.

Hard Times Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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

• NFT Audio Interview with Walter Hill - in this archival audio interview, Walter Hill discusses some preferences he has while directing, the type of heroes that populate his films, some of the great American directors that have influenced his style and work, the importance of building and sustaining the right type of atmosphere for the actors to be able to excel (with some fantastic comments about the bad guy in 48 Hrs.), etc. In English, not subtitled. (32 min).

• Walter Hill: Fistcuffs - in this new video interview, Walter Hill recalls how he was offered to shoot his first feature film (with the intent being to replicate the success of John Milius' Dillinger), and discusses the casting of Charlie Bronson and his performance, an interesting experience his father had with a street fighter during the Depression Era, James Coburn and Strother Martin's performances, and his relationship with cinematographer Philip Lathrop. In English, not subtitles. (21 min).

• Interview with Producer Lawrence Gordon - in this new video interview, producer Lawrence Gordon recalls how he approached Walter Hill and offered him to shoot Hard Times for Columbia Pictures, and discusses his initial plan to cast Joe Don Baker (The Walking Tall) as the drifter, the casting of Charlie Bronson and the negotiations with his agent, the difficult shooting process (a total of 43 days), the editing work and specifically Charlie Bronson's criticism of the cutting (a lot of material with Jill Ireland, at the time his wife, was removed), etc. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Interview with Barry De Vorzon - in this new video interview, composer Barry De Vorzon remembers his initial encounter with Walter Hill and how he was offered to score Hard Times, his contribution to Dillinger and how it helped him get the job on Hard Times (a very funny segment), the editing of the score, etc. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring new and archival writing, and rare archival imagery.

Hard Times 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. Eureka Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Hard Times is sourced from the 4K master that Sony Pictures prepared in the United States a couple of years ago. It also has some newly produced bonus features, including a really good video interview with Walter Hill. A great release. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.