The Last Hard Men (1976)

In the early 20th century, some convicts while on a road gang escape and one of the convicts is Zach Provo, a half Indian, who was sent to prison during the latter part of the 19th century.... See full summary »

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

Brian Garfield (novel), Guerdon Trueblood (screenplay)

Stars:

Charlton Heston, James Coburn, Barbara Hershey

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlton Heston	...	Sam Burgade
James Coburn	...	Provo
Barbara Hershey	...	Susan Burgade
Jorge Rivero	...	Menendez
Michael Parks	...	Noel Nye
Larry Wilcox	...	Shelby
Thalmus Rasulala	...	Weed
Morgan Paull	...	Shiraz
John Quade	...	Gant
Robert Donner	...	Lee Roy
Sam Gilman	...	Dutch Vestal
James Bacon	...	Deputy Jetfore
Riley Hill	...	Gus
Dick Alexander	...	Bo Simpson
Yolanda Schutz	...	Paloma

Storyline

In the early 20th century, some convicts while on a road gang escape and one of the convicts is Zach Provo, a half Indian, who was sent to prison during the latter part of the 19th century. He escapes with 6 others to exact vengeance on Sam Burgade the lawman who not only captured him but was also responsible for the death of Provo's wife, at least in Provo's mind. Part of his plan is to kidnap Burgade's daughter, which prompts him to strap on his guns and go after him on horseback. Can Burgade who has been retired for sometime still have what it takes to track Provo down?

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Plot Keywords:

escape | arizona | violence | cowboy | pump action shotgun | 

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Taglines:

Too Mean to Forgive ... Too Mad to Forget!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Burgade

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 93 min (15-rated) 94 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After award-winning composer Leonard Rosenman recorded a score for the film, which he personally didn't care for but was given freedom to be experimentally creative, the score was rejected. While Jerry Goldsmith is credited with "Music" on the film's credits, the credit is misleading as he composed no original score for the film, instead it was tracked with cues from various other scores he did, including "100 Rifles". Which is why he did not receive a credit like "Original Music composed & Conducted by".

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Goofs

After having his ear shot by Shelby, Gant shows no sign of the injury in the next scenes, no scab, scar, blood or bandage, nothing.

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Quotes

Zach Provo: You don't die for women. You kill for them.

User Reviews

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.