Hard Times

Hard Times is a 1975 action film marking the directorial debut of Walter Hill. It stars Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Jill Ireland and Strother Martin.

Plot
During the Great Depression, Chaney (Charles Bronson) bare-knuckle boxes to survive. Speed (James Coburn), an avid gambler, recognizes his talent and becomes his manager. They hire a cut man named Poe (Strother Martin), and Speed borrows cash from some gangsters to bet on Chaney's fight. They win, but Speed gambles and loses his portion and remains in debt. In the end, a rival manager named Gandil (Michael McGuire) buys Speed's debt and forces Chaney to fight Speed against his toughest foe yet.

Cast

 * Charles Bronson as Chaney
 * James Coburn as Spencer "Speed" Weed
 * Jill Ireland as Lucy Simpson
 * Strother Martin as Poe
 * Robert Tessier as Jim Henry
 * Michael McGuire as Chick Gandil
 * Nick Dimitri as Street
 * Margaret Blye as Gayleen Schoonover
 * Thomas Jefferson (uncredited cameo)