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I live in Carmel CA and see Eastwood from time to time. I grew up loving his films and while I agree with your analysis of the problems I keep coming back to this film time and time again. I own three versions and even though High Plains Drifter and the Dollar Trilogy get more respect, I've seen this film over and over. I've visited the Alabama Hills and the original Old Tucson several times. I do however, disagree with the score, every time I'm in the locations I can't help humming the theme. "I got a dollar says I can break your neck before you can get that rig moved a half inch."

Looking forward to the Unforgiven, the last great western.

I’m really looking forward to your The Gauntlet review! One of my favourite Eastwood films. And keen to hear your take on the Sweeney films and The Mechanic!

Good as always Tony. I remember seeing this when it came out and found it a tough watch. I agree with you about the tacked on happy ending but I have to say I was glad of it. George C Scott is once more at the top of his acting game. Peter Boyle is also on masterful form here. The latter's film 'Joe' from 1970 is an overlooked classic of the time.

Great selection Tony, looking forward to your take on all of them.

Ahh The Mechanic. My fave Bronson movie. It kicks all kinds of arse and takes no prisoners doing so.

Wow. Your excellent summary made the film seem way more comprehensible than I recall it being. Going to show my age here. I read the novel as a kid when it first came out in paperback. My mom took me to a department store and I can still see that pyramid built out of identical books on a table. They had my allowance money at the title. Ghost Story was all I needed to see. I was probably too young for the novel. My menory is that I found it truly frightening in parts (the movie theater scene in particular) but in general the plot was very sprawling and not easy for me to understand. I went to see the movie in its original theatrical run - figuring a screenplay of such a discursive novel would have to be made more linear. Boy was I wrong. I recall leaving the theatre thinking "What the hell? They made it even more difficult to follow". Your summary makes me want to give the film a second chance as the ideas are interesting.

This is a bad movie from what I have heard yet it got an Oscar and is even shown on TCM so how can you say it’s not even soo bad it’s good considering it came out during the early days of film

Can´t wait Tony. Especially for The Sweeney reviews guv´nor.

Some real gems there Looking forward to reviews T.

Can't wait!😎

“It’s about standing outside of it all on your own.” From The Mechanic (1972) Very excited for the upcoming reviews Tony! I love several of these and haven’t seen a few of them. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts! Have you ever heard of a film called “Gordon’s War” with Paul Winfield? I just recently revisited it and I had a great time with it, a grittier “blaxploitation film” that’s more in the vein of The French Connection” or “The Seven Ups” than most of its counterparts during that period.

Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry, The Mechanic and The Gauntlet are three of my faves. I can't wait to hear your unique and entertaining take on them.

In my own imagination I like to think that 'Summer Holiday' had the same kind of production events as 'The 13th Warrior' (director & composer change, re-shoots, re-editing, re-scoring and runaway budget). Plus the controversial casting of an ethnically inappropriate male lead.

I’m looking forward to so many of these, especially Kiss of the Vampire, Horror Express, and The Sweeney duology!

Tony you are spoiling us, the ferrets are particularly looking forward to the Sweeney. Thank you sir

1:40 ooo I've never heard of this one looks British😄

Zeta One? Thank God for Wikipedia: First screened to journalists in April 1969 to hostile reviews, the film sat on the shelf for 18 months before finally getting a UK release in October 1970, as the supporting feature to Kobi Jaegar's 1969 film Kama Sutra."

0:35 my eyes just lit right up! I LOVE The Mechanic (1972) ! I've seen it twice so far, it's been on my review list for a while now as well, it was my very second Charles Bronson film with my first being The Great Escape (1963)

0:25 I've had this on VHS for 5 years now and I still haven't seen it yet, oddly enough the previous owner had his name written on it "Don Hazlewood" funny name eh?

hey there T! just finished a great Bogart picture Black Legion (1937) I also admitted to my entire audience that I'm a conservative... wish me luck man😅

Wow, talk about a mixed bag. Some of my favourites there - and some some not so much... Either way, looking forward to seeing these! 👍

Quite the smorgasboatd of psychotronic reviews to look forward to. I saw the Mechanic on double bill with Jermiah Johnson when I was 8.

The mechanic is a favourite. Your take on the sweeney will be interesting. My brother in law was in the remake that was not very good.

A great film for the most part. I definitely agree with the consensus the ending doesn't fit. Too easy, too neat. Still, another challenging Schrader film of the type only he could make.

I was never aware the Warren Beatty was considered for the lead in this, and thank god that didn’t happen. Scott was born for the role and it’s probably one of his best performances. Season Hubley would appear a couple of years later in the equally grim and seedy Vice Squad as a hooker being terrorised by a notorious pimp called Ramrod played with gusto by Wings Hauser. Hardcore probably starred off a short period of of films that major or big studios would put out films dealing with the darker, sleazier side of the big cities like Friedkins ‘ Crusing’ Ferrara’s ‘Fear City’ and even ‘Tightrope’ with Clint Eastwood getting into baby oil and restraints tracking down a serial killer……as always Tony keep up the great work!

Your comment about a movie taking place in the hardcore porno world not being able to portray hardcore porno is apt, but perhaps since it is told from Scott’s character’s POV we see what he wants to see, and our imagination fills in the gaps. Not as grievous as “The People vs. Larry Flynt” where Milos Forman defended the free speech rights of a notorious pornographer, but was unable to show the pornography he produced, which if he could, would have caused the film not to be released commercially and would have forced many of the middlebrow critics who praised the film to do so with queasy stomachs.

I remember seeing this as a high school kid. I thought it was very good. I always liked George C Scott. As a young g man my father sold adult films and toys for some gentleman from Chicago so was always helping load it into his trailer. Peter Boyle is always good and Dick Sergeant was wonderful as the family friend.

That's some feedback on your first attempt at directing. I'd imagine most people would likely take Scott's advice/admonition and stick to their established roles in the film industry. I think that's something you have in common with Schrader, Tony. Damn the torpedoes, this channel will continue to tell it the way you see it. And greatly appreciated that always is.

Excellent review of a rather unbalanced early Paul Schrader effort which has some great parts but also is quite stolidly realised. There is a chapter on Hardcore in Tarantino's book Cinema Speculation which rather oddly observes that plot is full of outrageous coincidences which is ironic from QT who re-wrote World War Two and the history of the Sharon Tate murders. Hardcore does share a lot with the Searchers as did Taxi Driver but from a greater biographical perspective as Schrader was banned from seeing films until the age of 18 and then delved into the flesh pots of LA and New York while also being a serious film critic with an outstanding analysis on the psychotic nature of the film noir anti-hero as played by Ralph Meeker, Robert Ryan and Lee Marvin. Like The Searchers the ending is botched, remember Ethan Edwards according to Ford's logic is a racist who want to kill his niece Debbie as she has had sexual relations with Scar but the censors could not have had Wayne shoot down Natalie Wood. Btw, Hardcore was not Schrader's debut outing as a director which occurred a year before with the brilliant Blue Collar (1978) with Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto. I should know as I wrote a chapter on it in: rowman.com/ISBN/9781666938913/Scenes-from-the-American-Working-Class-This-Hard-Land.

Peter Boyle is an actor who should be talked about much more so I will. What a career. Mixed it with the big men in seventies classics and was always riveting and ensured the big stars were on their A game. I should not say this as perhaps of topic but this powerhouse then played, wonderfully of course, the wonderful dad of Raymond who everyone loves. As of your conclusion and my opinion - that is no soft ending. It is perhaps slightly less horrendous than could have been. Father and daughter now return to before with all that has happened seared into their consciousness. Unforgettable. That is pain and misery.

This film has always stirred something in me. The last scene where they drive off into the distance after Jeff Bridges dies, almost reduces me to tears. There were so many films made in the 70's that seemed to make a profound impression in a way nothing does in quite the same way - like some kind of lost art. Along with movies like Electra glide in Blue, Easyriders... seemed to celebrate something that America had and lost. Maybe it's just my age, but I still think I grew up in one of the best ages I could - certainly better than the current one. Good stuff Tony!

Nobody remade movies like Corman. 'Not of This Earth' is a classic. It's like he looked at it and though: 'Not bad, but it needs t*ts' 😆

The Wikipedia page says this was made with two endings. I wonder if Robertson lived and Caine died? I can't find it anywhere so I'll never know, lol.

Tony, this review was riveting. I have not yet seen Hardcore but after your review I want to see it. There are some notes of “Get Carter” in this film, except, unlike Jack, the protagonist comes from a different “world”. I think that’s the real hook: bringing an exemplar of a different subsection of a society into an entirely foreign terrain-testing his virtue and values. I’m sorry to see that they went with a facile ending. It would be nice to see George C. Scott’s character retain his core virtues but somehow deepen in compassion and understanding. I want to see this film and also try to make my way through “They Might be Giants”. Thanks for a great start to 2025!

Hi Tony. If you like WW2 can I point you towards A Midnight Clear, if you've not already been there. Interesting director, good cast, great story. Not asking for a review of it...although if you were looking for a WW2/Christmas crossover project for 2025 look no further.

I didn't mention this before but the poster and plot led me to believe this was an exploitation film about a mad detective who murders pedophiles, I was expecting a relatively plotless carnage fest but I was much more moved by what the film ultimately turned out to be, it's been days and I'm still pondering whether Johnson is a repressed pedophile or not or whether Baxter is the molester or not. I sorta believe he is, the way he torments and revels in Johnson's suffering heavily reminded me of Scorpio's sociopathy in Dirty Harry (1971) as for Johnson, it is possible that he's merely traumatized and fears he's something he's not, that's happened to me before, I've feared having twisted desires that turned out to be nothing but unnecessary worrying, for instance I feared I may be a transsexual but that's a long story😆

George C Scott..........absolute legend!

George C Scott is always good. I will watch anything with him in. Jack Nietzsche is also a favourite. His score to Tony Scott's Revenge is on my favourites playlist

I'm fairly confident you can dig yourself out of any hole, Tony.

Solid review. This was the first film I saw with George C Scott in and I rate him. Since watched The New Centurions, a police procedural which he made a few years before. Good film.

as much was I wanna watch this review T. I'm gonna have to hold off until I've actually seen the film, I've been avoiding spoilers for years, cheers✌

Excellent analysis, as per. I'm curious, do you rate Beatty a bad actor overall or just really wrong for this role? I agree he would have been quite miscast in this, but think he has been good to better than good in a number of other movies. As for Ms. Hubley and her grape-sized attributes...well, she did have a prettier face than Ms. Scarwid.

I love this movie. Schrader's commentary is realy great. Thanks for that The Searchers reference. Never thought of that before. SNL - when it was still good - did a parody of this but switched the roles of the father and daughter. Cheers

George C Scott was superb as Patton. Dad said I wasn't old enough to see this and eventually saw it when I was about 20,having loved Taxi Driver. Great stuff. For the record, Mean Streets and Goodfellas are my fave Scorcese movies.

Thanks!

It’s amazing that every one knows of or uses the (Turn it off TURN IT OFFFF! meme for when something is bad , but hardly anyone knows of Hardcore. Another great review Tony!

Heyman as Segundo was funny to me....but was somehow my favorite character in the movie

Mickey Spillane is, as far as I know, the only author to have played his own fictional creation, appearing as Mike Hammer in "The Girl Hunters", a 1964 UK film adaptation of his novel. It's a pity that Armand Assante never became a major star; he was quite a magnetic screen presence and just as good an actor as Al Pacino.

Hi Tony, this year I'm going to start a London Cinema club, hire out a cinema and show great films. This one is one of the top runners for the first show, I'll keep you informed if you want to come along mate.