I think I chose this movie because I enjoyed Charles Bronson and James Coburn for their roles in westerns, including as two of The Magnificent Seven. In a supporting role is Strother Martin, another western staple. It seemed a little odd to see them all together in a non-western, but they're still recognizable in character.
As befits the title, it's set in the Depression Era. The dour, laconic, brawny Chaney (Bronson) drifts into New Orleans and soon forms a partnership with the curiously nicknamed Speed (Coburn), wherein Chaney street-fights and Speed promotes and takes bets on him. This is not the most reliable way to make money, nor does Speed handle his share wisely. He owes a debt to a dangerous sort, but Chaney seems not to care about his partner beyond the terms of their spoken contract...at first.
A side story concerns Chaney's relationship with his new neighbor, Lucy (Jill Ireland, Bronson's wife). It can be difficult to know where they stand with one another: For all their mutual attraction, they don't consistently express it. Lucy perceives that he's not good long-term material, which makes sense for a drifter.
I've found boxing movies middling overall, but I'm not inclined to count this as one. Maybe it's the lack of professionalism or even legality. Maybe it's the atmosphere that pervades scenes even outside of the matches. Maybe you could even make the case that this really is a western at heart, what with a macho antihero addressing the question of the right thing to do.
That said, it barely has a message to deliver. The street fights are not very exciting by modern standards, and the romance falls flat. HT succeeds primarily as a plain drama with grit. I might recommend it to those who love the Silver Age, but more casual viewers wouldn't miss much.
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