Spidersecu
Don't Believe the Hype
TeenzTen
An action-packed slog
Roy Hart
If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
bkoganbing
Take A Hard Ride is both a spaghetti western and a black exploitation film. In this film Jim Brown takes a really large sum to Sonora in Mexico where his dying employer Dana Andrews has started what sounds like a Utopian like settlement. Brown takes on the mission because as a former slave Andrews treated him like a human being. He's feeling a strong obligation there.But when you're carrying $86,000.00 and that's in 19th century dollars it's not something you keep a secret. Brown has all kinds of people after the money up to and including bounty hunter Lee Van Cleef and even the law itself in the person of Barry Sullivan.His allies are an uneasy group. Gambler Fred Williamson who is a fast gun and has a way with snakes goes along with Brown with Brown knowing full well Williamson could turn on him. They also pick up a mute Indian played by Jim Kelly who's learned a lot of good karate moves with his tribe.Take A Hard Ride is a pretty good western for a spaghetti western. I'm not a real big fan of the genre thinking that westerns are to be made in the USA as its our art form. Still with all the Americans in the cast, none of that ridiculous dubbing is here. Brown and Williamson have a good chemistry in their scenes.Should please devoted western fans.
Scarecrow-88
Rousing old school western(..not a spaghetti western, as you'd might be led to believe, but more closer to the Hollywood classics) which has two charismatic black stars(..former football players Jim Brown and Fred 'The Hammer' Williamson) as the heroes, from prolific Italian director Antonio Margheriti. Brown is a reformed criminal named Pike who is asked by his dying employer to take their hard-earned cattle money to his home town of Sonora. Carrying $86,000 in loot obviously makes you a marked man, but Pike gains an ally in flashy gambler Tyree(Williamson)who is eyeballing the cash, agreeing to help him get most of the way to Sonora..but Tyree vows to battle for the loot once they come to the half-way point. Meanwhile, a pipe-smoking, quick-drawing bounty hunter, Kiefer(Lee Van Cleef, wearing longer hair than usual)remembers Pike's past and plans to arrest him, also quite interested in attaining his money. Understanding Pike's skills as a gunfighter, when he has to be, and knowing the talents of Tyree, Kiefer will enlist the aid of cutthroats and other hired guns in order to complete his mission. But, no matter the number of hired goons he adds to his entourage, Kiefer knows that his target will not be easy to retrieve. Along the way, Pike picks up a New Orleans whore, Catherine(Catherine Spaak)whose kind husband was butchered by a mob of nasty cowboys and a high-kicking Negro(..raised by Indians), Kashtok(Jim Kelly, whose martial arts skills are well utilized in the film as he often subdues his foes by dropping them before they can even draw their weapons)who doesn't ride a horse, opting to travel on foot instead.Lots of shootouts and stunning action set pieces, well photographed by Riccardo Pallottini using the location of Spain's Canary Islands to great effect. Terrific suspense sequence as our heroes must cross a bridge before others catch up to them. Brown and Williamson make an entertaining duo, their being African-American adding a unique spin to what is otherwise a familiar formula western..the idea of getting cash to another place avoiding gunfighters who wish to steal it is nothing new(..hell, Peckinpah's RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY is an example). Brown has never been as humane and considerate an on screen character, checking his ego at the door, allowing Williamson the opportunity to show off his pearly whites, playing the flamboyant, sharply dressed swindler who always has us questioning whether or not he can be trusted. Williamson lays on the charm and steals his scenes with Brown willing to be the straight man of the team. Lee Van Cleef doesn't stretch his persona..he's still a highly skilled sharpshooter with expertise and knowledge in the field of bounty hunting. When others do not heed his warning, they wind up dead. While he's a man of principle, he's not above aligning himself with nefarious characters if the odds are not in his favor. Dana Andrews appears in a cameo as Brown's boss who dies before he can enjoy the fruits of his labor, a welcome presence who earns our respect and admiration in minutes compared to many who fail to do so in a movie length's time. Classy Jerry Goldsmith score, and well orchestrated gun battles, shot with an epic scope and grandeur. I think director Antonio Margheriti is able to rise above the so-so material thanks to his cast and smooth style(..his trademark zooms which close in on the faces of his actors are on display). This was a big role for Jim Brown with Williamson complimenting him nicely. Throw in Lee Van Cleef, who has such a fascinating face, and you have a western worthy of pursuit.
gridoon
This predictable and formulaic Western will not blow you away with its brilliance, but it IS fun, carried along almost entirely by the strong presences of its top stars. Only Jim Kelly and his karate moves feel out of place. And it also must be mentioned that the big moment that you all (?) have been waiting for, a fight between Jim Brown and Fred Williamson, does arrive in this film....but the scene is terribly unrealistic-looking. (**1/2)
sylvar-3
I remember seeing this one as a kid, and really liking it! (Aaah youth!) Well, after watching it as an adult, (Feelings change!) Script was definitely hurting. It could have had great potential! Lee Van Cleef, Jim Brown, Jim Kelly, Fred Williamson! (Actually Jim Kelly as a indian? Well, no, a black man raised as a indian, who everybody calls indian? Running around doing the Billy Jack thing! Go figure.) Aside from that humor, I rate it, 5 out of 10.(See Buck & the preacher, '1000 rifles' 'Posse' are even better if you want a primary A.A western.)
