Exoticalot
People are voting emotionally.
Lumsdal
Good , But It Is Overrated By Some
SanEat
A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
Oslo Jargo (Bartok Kinski)
While The Hard Man (1957), isn't the best western film, it isn't that awful.Most of the action takes place in town, so that may put off some of the audience. Guy Madison is a bit of a square-jawed, tough guy here, who is used by the law to hunt for murderous outlaws. He shoots one of his old cowpoke friends in self-defense, and the guy claimed he was innocent. Guy Madison gets picked up by an elderly sheriff to be his side man and use his gun if he has to. That puts him at odds with Lorne Greene, who continues his "bad guy streak" (Tight Spot (1955)). He isn't half bad. Guy Madison finds out that Lorne Greene was behind his cowpoke friend's setup.There's a love interest in the form of Valerie French (from Jubal (1956)), and she is lovely to look at. I think they should have had more bad guys that were formidable instead of being cartoon rogues.The film is a barely above the average, and although it's not that exciting, it wasn't a bad view for an American western film.Also recommended: Jubal (1956) Hour of the Gun (1967) A Man Called Gannon (1968) The Last Hard Men (1976)
fmazzar771-1
Steve is the Hard Man...he represents the law and he kills most of the bad guys he chases. When he kills a bad guy who turns out to most probably be innocent, Steve goes after the truth, and along the way he must deal with Lorne Greene playing Rice Martin, Rice's flirty wife, Fern, and his own conscience. After some nifty gun play and even some sentiment when Steve comes to the aid of an orphan boy, Fern gets found out for what she is. She framed the innocent man causing Steve to kill him and now she must stand trial for her sins. It all comes out nice and the journey along the way is at least average TV viewing for us Western lovers. They make them a whole lot better than this, but "The Hard Man" will do as passing entertainment. Lorne Greene does a bad job acting, but then again, he has very little to work with. Plenty of good character parts help keep things interesting. Rudy Bond plays a bad guy and you will recognize his snout from his role in the Godfather, Streetcar Named Desire and many, many more Hollywood big shows. Maybe C++ would be a good grade for this film, but if you are a Western fan, that's a good enough excuse to watch.
bkoganbing
Guy Madison plays the title role in The Hard Man, a rather ruthless deputy sheriff who prefers to bring in his fugitives draped over the saddle. Saves a lot of judicial proceedings that way. But when an old friend he's sent to track down tries to outdraw him, Madison is forced to shoot Myron Healey who's been accused of murder. Before Healey dies he gives Madison a convincing story he was framed. Shooting down a friend who may have been innocent sends Madison off to a nearby town looking for answers. All lines of inquiry lead to cattle baron Lorne Greene and his wife Valerie French.I don't think Lorne Greene was cast as Ben Cartwright in Bonanza on the strength of this role. Greene's a mean one here, a guy who has increased his herd through rustling and he's got a nice batch of gunfighters on the payroll to keep questions to a minimum.However Valerie French who played Ernest Borgnine's unfaithful wife in Jubal plays exactly the same kind of part here. She's looking for a way out of her marriage, one way or the other. Both these issues figure prominently into why Healey was killed.The Hard Man is a nicely done adult type western with some solid performances by Madison and the rest of the cast. With some bigger name players this film would be more known, but I can't fault anyone either behind or in front of the camera for their work.
Terence Allen
The Hard Man does not stand out as anything unique, but it is an entertaining western that can hold your interest during viewing. Guy Madison does fine as the stalwart lawman/gunfighter brought in to clean up the town. Valerie French has the requisite beauty as the femme fatale, although it sounds as if her voice was dubbed by another actress. The greatest revelation about the Hard Man is seeing a pre-Ben Cartwright Lorne Greene play a ruthless, utterly despicable villain. This was made several years before Bonanza began, and Greene makes the most of playing the bad guy. This alone makes the movie worth watching. The Hard Man is a fine Western to watch to pass the time. The only thing noteworthy is to watch this while comparing Greene's character to his future Ben Cartwright role.
