7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
During the Great Depression, a down-on-his-luck loner, hops a freight train to New Orleans where, on the seedier side of town, he tries to make some quick money the only way he knows how-with his fists.
Starring: Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Jill Ireland, Strother Martin, Maggie BlyeSport | 100% |
Drama | 7% |
Period | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Charles Bronson and James Coburn were two highly distinctive actors who managed to craft long and successful careers despite not being typical “leading man” types. Though Coburn came on the scene a few years after Bronson, their careers followed remarkably similar paths. They both established themselves in the 1950s, and by the 1960s had begun to matriculate into higher profile roles, even co-starring together in such well remembered films as The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape. Both actors had a rough and tumble quality about them, and both were able to hint at significant menace percolating beneath an apparently cool surface. Neither was traditionally handsome in a matinee idol sense, and neither were really ever typical romantic leads, either. Coburn perhaps was able to evince a certain affably suave ambience more than Bronson ever did, especially in such comic films as Our Man Flint and In Like Flint. Both actors are seen to rather good effect in the directorial debut of Walter Hill, the kind of odd 1975 drama Hard Times. This Depression Era set look at so-called “pick up fights” and the men who both promote them as well as get pummeled in them features Coburn as Speed, a man on the make who joins forces with Bronson’s character Chaney, a no nonsense man of few words who just happens to pack an incredible wallop when he puts his mind to it. I’m frankly not sure what Hill’s actual point is in Hard Times (he not only directed but co- wrote the screenplay with Bryan Gindoff and Bruce Henstell), but perhaps unexpectedly, it doesn’t matter all that much. Hard Times is relentlessly entertaining, a rather compelling miniature that takes a look at two desperate characters—one of them quiet, one of them rather brash—trying to wend their way through one of the most troubled times in our nation’s history.
Hard Times is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. For my money, there is no better company releasing (or in this case, licensing) their deep catalog titles than Sony – Columbia. The care that this studio regularly lavishes on films that few remember is truly astounding, and it's once again completely in evidence in this beautiful high definition presentation of Hard Times. It probably goes without saying that this is a naturally filmic presentation (though one with a perhaps unexpected amount of grain at times), but the clarity and precision of the image here are really outstanding. Though the film tends to traffic almost exclusively in a pretty dour color scheme that highlights browns and grays, the palette here is surprisingly warm and inviting and always very accurate looking. Best of all, fine detail is exceptional throughout this presentation. There is some relative softness in just a couple of wide shots, which I am almost thinking were probably second unit material, but otherwise this is a first rate transfer and another beautiful example of the excellence Sony – Columbia is regularly providing to its licensors.
Perhaps surprisingly Hard Times has been granted a repurposed surround mix which is delivered via DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The good news here is that this isn't an overly artificial sounding redesign. The bulk of the surround activity is limited to some of the crowd noises during the fight sequences as well as Barry De Vorzon's nice, rootsy score. Dialogue is very cleanly presented. The film has some fairly wide dynamic range courtesy of some bombastic foley effects and the roars of the crowd during the fight scenes.
Hard Times is a bit of an odd duck. Chaney is simply a cipher, albeit a compelling one. And Speed is kind of an annoying hack. The love interest is never fully developed and the film doesn't really have that much of a plot. And yet, you know what? I enjoyed watching Hard Times probably more than any vintage seventies' film I've seen over the past couple of years or so. The performances are pitch perfect, the look of the film is magnificent (even more so courtesy of this really nice looking Blu-ray), and while it may not amount to all that much, the film has a certain air of hopefulness that makes it very much a part of the American spirit. If taken on its own terms and accepted for being basically a character study (even if one of those characters is pretty opaque), there is a lot to admire about Hard Times. Highly recommended.
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