Hard Times

In the gritty 1930s, Charles Bronson stars as Chaney, a mysterious drifter who travels through Louisiana during the Great Depression, proving indomitable in illegal bare-knuckled boxing matches after forming a partnership with garrulous hustler Speed, played by James Coburn. With the support of a genteel drug addict and a down-on-her-luck woman, Chaney takes on local fighters at long odds, recruiting a Southerner named Pettibone to sponsor him before turning the tables against his loan sharks. As Chaney's fame grows, he must wager his entire winnings to take on a prize fighter imported from Chicago, leading to a thrilling showdown that will determine his fate and Speed's future.