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Hard Times

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Movie 1975 93 min Drama Checked by Dan S · 28 Oct 2026
Official Rating PG ClearAge 13+

No Australia rating available — showing United States

Why our age differs

Official is US PG. We say 13+ because bare-knuckle beatings, gun threats, and a gambling addiction plot hit harder than most modern US PG fights

What we flagged

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Violence
Moderate
Language
Mild

Our take

Walter Hill's tough period film follows a quiet fighter and his shaky promoter through illegal street boxing in the 1930s. Punches land hard, faces swell, and money pressure never lets up. Hell, damn, and stronger curses for the era show up, plus cigarettes and gambling that wrecks partners. We land at 13 and up because the sustained bare-knuckle violence and gambling spiral are heavier than a soft US PG boxing yarn

Uplifting themes

Quiet professionalism and loyalty under pressure get more respect than loud hustling. The film values earning an honest purse in a dishonest world Chaney's reserve and fairness in the ring stand against Speed's chaos. He is no saint, but he keeps his word when it counts

Story (may spoil tone)

In the depression, Chaney, a strong silent streetfighter, joins with Speed, a promoter of no-holds-barred street boxing bouts. They go to New Orleans where Speed borrows money to set up fights for Chaney, but Speed gambles away any winnings.

What we flagged

View all categories

Violence
Moderate
Language
Mild

Details

Violence Moderate Illegal street bouts fill the film with heavy punches, clinches, and me…

Illegal street bouts fill the film with heavy punches, clinches, and men hitting the ground hard. Outside the ring, gun threats and rough payback keep the Depression underworld close

Language Mild Hell, damn, b-word phrase, and the odd g-word turn up in arguments and…

Hell, damn, b-word phrase, and the odd g-word turn up in arguments and fight corners. Swearing fits the rough period tone without becoming a modern f-word barrage

Drugs / alcohol Mild Cigarettes and bar drinking sit in nearly every pause between bouts. Sm…

Cigarettes and bar drinking sit in nearly every pause between bouts. Smoking is everyday period texture, not a drug-plot focus

Gore / death / weapons Mild Bloody noses, swollen faces, and guns in tense standoffs show the cost…

Bloody noses, swollen faces, and guns in tense standoffs show the cost of the fights. Injury detail stays gritty rather than graphic dissection

Gambling Moderate The promoter's habit of betting and losing fight money is a main engine…

The promoter's habit of betting and losing fight money is a main engine of trouble. Cards and debts keep dragging the partnership toward ruin

Flashing lights We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.

We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.

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Talk after watching

  • Chaney stays quiet while Speed talks and gambles. Which approach helps more when money and pride are on the line?
  • Street fighting pays the bills in hard times. What lines would you refuse to cross just to survive?