The Last Hard Men (1976)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

Brian Garfield (novel)
Guerdon Trueblood (writer)

Release Date:

1 June 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

In the early 20th century, some convicts while on a road gang escape and one of the convicts is Zach Provo...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Navajo | Clothes Ripping | Half Breed | Revenge

Cast

Charlton Heston	...	Sam Burgade
James Coburn	...	Zach Provo
Barbara Hershey	...	Susan Burgade
Jorge Rivero	...	Cesar Menendez
Michael Parks	...	Pima County Sheriff Noel Nye
Larry Wilcox	...	Mike Shelby
Thalmus Rasulala	...	George Weed
Morgan Paull	...	Portugee Shiraz
John Quade	...	Will Gant
Robert Donner	...	Lee Roy Tucker
Sam Gilman	...	Dutch Vestal
James Bacon	...	Deputy Jetfore
Riley Hill	...	Gus, Bank President
Dick Alexander	...	Bo Simpson
Yolanda Schutz	...	Paloma

Also Known As:

Burgade (USA) (working title)
The Last Hard Man (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

98 min | Sweden:93 min (15-rated version) | Norway:94 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1989) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1976) | Norway:16 | Sweden:(Banned) (1976) | Sweden:15 (re-rating) | USA:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Old Tucson - 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Quotes:

Zach Provo: Are you in or out?
Will Gant: Man, for four thousand in gold, I'd cut my old man in a town square and let the vultures feed on his carcass!

Realistic and somewhat violent western

A nice departure from the mainstream, "good guys wear white hats", product typical of the genre. First released in the 1970's, the movie followed in the experimental trend of the day begun with the "Spaghetti Westerns" starring Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, etc.

Both the protagonist and antagonist are throwbacks to an earlier time. Charlton Heston is somewhat dismayed and bewildered by the technological changes thrust upon him while James Coburn's character simply disregards them. The two men become locked in an ego battle that disregards all those around them except to the extent others are useful in pursuing their own personal goals. Both characters are incredible "hard men", physically, mentally, and emotionally and this aspect of their personalities plays out in single-minded, intense violence and cruelty.

The plot is nothing new, however. Coburn plays an escaped convict bent on avenging himself against Heston, the lawman who captured him. Coburn manipulates a gang of mostly dimwitted but dangerous criminals who kidnap Heston's daughter. Heston then chases them across hill and dale in an attempt to save her.