MovieChat Forums > Hard Times (1975) Discussion > Does anybody NOT like this movie?

Does anybody NOT like this movie?

posted 15 years ago by asgard-5
11 replies | jump to latest

Please write if you didn't like it or if it didn't live up to your expectations. And why.

While Hill's got an eye for a great visual and I like Bronson a lot, I found this film to be considerably lacking in plot department.

SPOILERS

So Bronson comes into town, hooks up with Coburn to earn some money, wins all fights like a piece of cake, occasionally making company to Jill Ireland, whose husband is in jail, or so she says. Coburn is held hostage because he can't pay up what he owes. Meanwhile Jill Ireland decides to leave town. So Bronson decides to fight for Coburn's freedom. He wins the stretched out climactic 4 minute fight. Then he gives Coburn and doc some money and leaves town also. The end.

END SPOILERS

That's about it. That's the whole movie. It looks great, has colorful and memorable characters and it's well acted. But storywise it's utter vacuum. It ends so abruptly, I wonder if anyone felt cheated by that. Or am I missing out on some essential morality?

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dance godammit

[–] mvance-1 15 years ago

Anyone else hear the crickets chirping? Steve V.

[–] easycomeeasygo333 15 years ago

Im a BRONSON fan ,so of course this DVD is in my collection, but didnt care much for the story ,after all im not a big fan of boxing or street fighting films...so ask me what i think of the'' ROCKY'' films????

[–] aratron777 15 years ago

That is what makes the film so realistic. Why do you think the plot had to be complex? Remember the events are occurring during the depression these were "Hard Times" and Bronson's character was doing what he needed to do to survive. This is without a doubt an outstanding film. One of my alltime favorites.

Anothr good one byWalter Hill is Southern Comfort

[–] Noir-It-All 15 years ago

I finally watched this today. I really liked it. It reminded me of why the '70's movies were so great. Even films you don't think of today, like this one, were unique and had atmosphere.

"Two more swords and I'll be Queen of the Monkey People." Roseanne

[–] kfcdou88 14 years ago

I love it... but to be honest it didn't live up to my expectations.

I think the fights, especially the last one, are really well-made.They look so realistic and fast, I don't see it even in more recent productions.Bronson is great.I was amazed both by his acting and his punching speed...

But for some reason when I watched the movie I was a bit disappointed.It have great elements(acting, characters, fights,screenplay,...)but the total result was not what I expected.Maybe that's because I had enormous expectations.

-You brought two too many

[–] SidekickinWhiteFury 14 years ago

Besides it being a good movie, great fights and Bronson at his best,
the film had a really nice artsy quality to it.
The opening scene on the train, the two diner scenes, the church scene, the Cajun scene, the fight scenes also artistically done.
That is what separates this from so many movies where it's just violent.
This violence was not gratuitous. It was necessary to the story and great.

Bring forth my doom spawn from your stink crevice,
and prove the gypsy wrong!

[–] franzkabuki 14 years ago

Why does it need to be heavy on plot necessarily? It´s more a mood piece and actually grows into a very involving character study - the protagonist may be a mythic presence, but I think Hard Times still qualifies as such - of an ordinary man scrubbing it out during the Depression. If one expects some action extravaganza, it´ll likely disappoint, but I found it a pleasent surprise how quiet and understated the film turned out. It´s got a great sense of time and place and features what´s likely Bronson´s career best performance - with very few words he manages to create an interesting, unusually (for him) sympathetic character here. Also, the fights are really top notch, well coreographed and gritty. Nothing really wrong with this picture at all. Definitely Hill´s most outstanding work from the ones that I´ve seen (although Southern Comfort isn´t that far behind).

Edit: that was two days ago. Now I just finished watching The Driver which steals the honor of being Hill´s best work right away again just like that. Both excellent though.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] joeparkson 14 years ago

The only flaw in the movie was that the budget didn't allow for enough makeup to show the real injuries you'd take in a fight.

In that last fight, Cheney takes a lot of hard blows and all he has is one cut above the eye?

I like the fact that we know nothing about Cheney's back story. Makes him more mythical, like the gunfighter Shane. Gives him an aura of mystery, like a samurai.

Absurdity: A Statement or belief inconsistent with my opinion.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MrSiegal 10 years ago

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073092/board/nest/65476729

The large print giveth and the small print taketh away.