The Warriors - reappraised?

egrorian · Post by **egrorian** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 7:36 pm

I'm quite new to this forum.

In reading some of the DVD reviews (and - like most - I'm appalled att he comic book additions!) I do note the favourable reviews and comments like "Walter Hill's best film".

Maybe this forum is not the best place to air such an opinion but I thought that accolade was generally reserved for the superb "Hard Times"?

To quote from a retrospective review of Hard Times from 1980:

"Director Hill did evidence skill and promise with this movie, but his subsequent pictures The Driver and The Warriors have been greeted with an almost consistently negative press".

I love both films pretty much equally but certainly from a critical point of view I always believed Hard Times was much higher regarded.

Any thoughts?

Riff · Post by **Riff** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 12:49 pm

I am not familiar with the film 'Hard Times', what is the general story line and when was it released?

I am a big fan of Walter Hills work he has made many great films.

egrorian · Post by **egrorian** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 4:46 pm

Hard Times is sometimes known as The Streetfighter.

Made in 1975, starring Charles Bronson as a bare knuckle street fighter in 1930s New Orleans with James Coburn as his rogueish but loveable manager.

Bronson - looking to make a buck rises to be top dog and this creates problems for the local gangland boss who drafts in a hitter from out of town....

Recognised by many as possibly Bronson's best film, Hard Times has a great story, very fine performances and exciting fight sequences, along with some rather moving character scenes.

bushnut · Post by **bushnut** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 5:44 pm

My fave bronson film is death wish 3. Really funny bad acting and is so corny it's brilliant. The streetfighter is good, didn't know it was a hill film tho. Saw it about 12 years ago.

T'MorrowMan · Post by **T'MorrowMan** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 6:44 pm

Hard Times was Hill? i knew that guy was a genius! i used to watch that movie on cable when i was a kid (and there were only Two movie channels. Anyone remember ON TV? and Z CHANNEL? Bronson was quiet. hardly had any lines, just won fistfights. a moving story. the deppression sucked. and no i wasnt there.

egrorian · Post by **egrorian** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 11:42 am

Hard Times is availble on DVD, both R1 and R2.

Pretty basic DVDs but let's hope any future SE or Director's Cut doesn't go the tweaking route as has happened with The Warriors!

Riff · Post by **Riff** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 1:01 pm

Ah, 'The Street Fighter', yes I have seen this film, again I didnt realise this was a Walter Hill film.

From memory didnt it also feature that bald guy with the tattoos who played the solitary tuff guy in 'The Longest Yard'?

egrorian · Post by **egrorian** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 6:34 pm

Robert Tessier, yes.

Cochise · Post by **Cochise** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 11:57 pm

Not to be confused with the Sonny Chiba "Street Fighter" series, of course. But anyways, Hard Times is a great movie (one of if not my dad's favorites). I think that it had more good praise than bad, where as The Warriors was more mixed. Plus, it created quite a stir back in the day.

I think Bronson's best movie is The Magnificent Seven...because it's got my man Steve Mcqueen in it!