I’ve discussed my love of Walter Hill’s films several times on the site, so I’ll try not to repeat myself here, but I’ll simply say that his expertly-crafted, tough, no-nonsense films appeal very much to my tastes. As such, it was cause for great celebration when the Australian Imprint label announced they’d be releasing a six-film box set of Hill classics.
The films included are:
Hard Times
The Driver
The Long Riders
Extreme Prejudice
Johnny Handsome
Broken Trail
Needless to say, I snapped up a copy so I could share my thoughts here. I’ve reviewed three of the films in the set before, so I’ve linked to those older posts rather than rehashing my thoughts. I’ve added reviews of the new special features on those discs though.
Hard Times
Director: Walter Hill
Screenplay: Walter Hill, Bryan Gindoff, Bruce Henstell
Starring: Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Jill Ireland, Strother Martin, Michael McGuire
Country: USA
Running Time: 93 min
Year: 1975
Film: 
The Driver
Director: Walter Hill
Screenplay: Walter Hill
Starring: Ryan O’Neal, Bruce Dern, Isabelle Adjani, Ronee Blakley, Matt Clark, Felice Orlandi, Joseph Walsh, Rudy Ramos
Country: USA
Running Time: 91 min
Year: 1978
Film:
The Long Riders
Director: Walter Hill
Screenplay: Bill Bryden, Steven Smith, Stacy Keach, Bill Bryden, Steven Smith, Stacy Keach, Walter Hill (uncredited)
Starring: James Keach, Stacy Keach, David Carradine, Keith Carradine, Robert Carradine, Randy Quaid, Dennis Quaid, Kevin Brophy, Nicholas Guest, Christopher Guest
Country: USA
Running Time: 100 min
Year: 1980
Hill has professed to being a huge fan of westerns and most of his films have had a western flavour, in some respect. The Long Riders was the first ‘proper’ western he made though.
It featured nine real-life brothers; James Keach and Stacy Keach as Frank and Jesse James; David Carradine, Keith Carradine, and Robert Carradine as Cole, Jim, and Bob Younger; and Dennis Quaid and Randy Quaid as Ed and Clell Miller. The film tells the story of the notorious James-Younger gang, a group of outlaws who terrorized the Midwest United States in the years following the Civil War.
The film paints a fairly sympathetic picture of the criminals, playing on their folk hero status whilst taking a naturalistic approach, featuring homelife scenes and looking at the quiet moments between the bank jobs. Hill claims he wanted to humanise the legendary characters and that certainly shows in the end result.
The Keaches originated the project back in the early 70s, with it beginning as an off-broadway play (then musical!). They then spent a long time trying to sell the screenplay and real-life-brothers concept, even at one point aiming to make a TV mini-series, but it kept getting rejected.
It eventually got picked up by United Artists though, who were beginning production on Heaven’s Gate. It’s presumed they figured that expensive, star-studded western would begin a new boom in the genre (oh what little they knew). Walter Hill was brought on board and the film was released in 1980 to reasonable critical acclaim but poor box office returns.
The Long Riders had quite a low budget so the team tried to use original locations whenever possible. This gave it an authentic feel, which Hill was after. This runs throughout, from the lived-in costumes to the heavy use of period music and new compositions drawing from the style (it was the first of many Hill soundtracks by the great Ry Cooder). The narrative details are more accurate than usual in this oft-told tale too, certainly more than anything had come before.
The real-life brothers aspect of the production, which plays into this authenticity, has been seen as a gimmick by some but I think it greatly enhances the chemistry of the cast, particularly as the brothers were already friends before the shoot. Also, it fits in with the film’s theme of family being the leading proponent of the gang’s actions.
Though the men certainly take centre stage (as is often the case in Hill’s films), it’s refreshing to see the outlaws’ wives given stronger characters than usual and the actresses do a decent job with their supporting roles. Pamela Reed is particularly good in her scenes with David Carradine.
It has a lazy, ‘hang-out movie’ pace in portions of the film, which seems out of character for Hill. These scenes were a little hit-and-miss for me. As mentioned, I found Reed and Carradine’s scenes compelling but some of the other banter between characters can be a touch stilted. The more pivotal story beat scenes are better handled though and Hill picks up the pace in the action scenes. These are, as you’d expect from the director, exceptionally well done. The Northfield Minnesota raid scene is particularly impressive, with shades of Hill’s mentor, Sam Peckinpah, shining through in the heavy use of slow-motion. Great use is made of slowed-down sound effects too.
All-in-all, Hill and his team took a well-told story and turned it into an authentic, well-crafted film with effective themes of family and brotherhood. Its slower scenes didn’t always work for me but, when firing on all cylinders, it delivers the goods you’d expect from a Hill-directed western.
Film:
Extreme Prejudice
Director: Walter Hill
Screenplay: Deric Washburn, Harry Kleiner
Based on a Story by: John Milius, Fred Rexer
Starring: Nick Nolte, Powers Boothe, Michael Ironside, Maria Conchita Alonso, Rip Torn, Clancy Brown, William Forsythe
Country: USA
Running Time: 105 min
Year: 1987
Film: 
Johnny Handsome
Director: Walter Hill
Screenplay: Ken Friedman
Based on a Novel by: John Godey
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Lance Henriksen, Ellen Barkin, Elizabeth McGovern, Morgan Freeman, Forest Whitaker, Scott Wilson
Country: USA
Running Time: 93 min
Year: 1989
Based on a book by Ken Friedman, Johnny Handsome sees Mickey Rourke play John Sedley, a thief with a severely disfigured face. During a ‘prestige’ heist, he is double-crossed by his partners in crime, Sunny Boyd (Ellen Barkin) and Rafe Garrett (Lance Henriksen), who kill his friend Mikey (Scott Wilson) and leave him to be sent to prison.
There, John is almost murdered by inmates who were paid-off by Garrett. The incident makes John the perfect subject for Dr. Fisher (Forest Whitaker), a plastic surgeon who is looking for a guinea pig for an experimental procedure in reconstructive cosmetic surgery. Fisher wants to test whether a new face can affect a criminal’s mental state, setting him on a new life path. Johnny agrees to the surgery and is given a new, normal-looking face.
After his release from prison, Johnny tries to go straight. He gets a job on the docks and starts seeing a woman named Donna McCarty (Elizabeth McGovern). However, he is haunted by his past and his desire for revenge against Sunny and Rafe.
Johnny Handsome could be seen as a film noir or neo-noir, with its murky morals and criminal protagonists. However, it also has a touch of Hill’s penchant for comic books. I guess pulp fiction would be the best description of the film’s style and I mean that in the literal sense not a reference to Quentin Tarantino’s film. Most notably, the face-change aspect is a little far-fetched.
Extensive plastic surgery is not infeasible, of course, but the quality of it is dubious for that era and the reasonings behind so much time and money being spent on this low-life criminal are pretty flimsy. There are other skimmed-over details as the film goes on too and a few holes that keep the story from fully satisfying. The final act, in particular, didn’t feel like it held much water.
The themes are interesting though, even if these are laid on a little thick at times. The film looks at the idea of whether how we look affects the way we act and if it shapes our personalities too. Similarly, the film explores the different masks people wear. Hill’s common theme of brotherhood is also there, if a little more hidden. Johnny is doing everything for the love of his friend that was killed.
Keeping the slightly shaky material afloat is the cast. Rourke was reportedly claustrophobic, so worried about taking on the heavily made-up part but must have been willing to take on the challenge. He relishes the meaty role, working with a speech impediment as well as the big character shifts demanded through the story.
Rourke’s layered role is countered by two wonderfully overblown villains, played by Ellen Barkin and Lance Henriksen. Then you get the ever-reliable Forest Whitaker as his well-meaning but naive doctor and the great Morgan Freeman as a cop who seems cruel and unreasonable but, by the end, turns out to be the only person who can see Rourke for what he truly is. Elizabeth McGovern gets a less showy role but is effective as the (almost) innocent love interest.
Overall, Johnny Handsome is a classily produced neo-noir with a great cast but an under-developed script holds it back from being top-tier Hill.
Film:
Broken Trail
Director: Walter Hill
Screenplay: Alan Geoffrion
Starring: Robert Duvall, Thomas Haden Church, Scott Cooper, Greta Scacchi, Gwendoline Yeo, Valerie Tian, Olivia Cheng, Jadyn Wong, Chris Mulkey, Rusty Schwimmer
Country: USA, Canada
Running Time: 184 min
Year: 2006
Although largely considered a film director, Walter Hill has done a lot of producing and writing for TV throughout his career, being behind series such as Tales From the Cryptkeeper and Deadwood as well as directing a few episodes along the way. In 2006, however, he used the television miniseries format to allow him to tell a longer-form story than he was known for, with his western epic, Broken Trail.
Set in 1898, the miniseries tells the story of an ageing cowboy, Prentice Ritter (Robert Duvall), and his estranged nephew, Tom Harte (Thomas Haden Church), as they transport 500 horses from Oregon to Wyoming to sell them to the British Army. Along the way, their long but simple horse drive is complicated when they rescue five Chinese girls from a slave trader, Captain Billy Fender (James Russo), saving them from a life of prostitution and indentured servitude.
Prentice and Tom are initially reluctant to take on the responsibility of caring for the girls, but the group soon become a kind of family. Adding to the ‘clan’ along the way are a struggling fiddle player, Gilpin (Scott Cooper), and an ageing prostitute, Nola Johns (Greta Scacchi).
Unfortunately, the group face problems when ‘Big Rump’ Kate (Rusty Schwimmer), who had originally paid Fender for the girls, hires the recently out-of-prison Ed “Big Ears” Bywaters (Chris Mulkey) to get back her ‘property’. Adding further danger is the fact that Bywaters has a troubled history with Nola.
I chose to watch Broken Trail in two parts, as originally aired, due to my struggling to find 3 hours to watch it all in one go. At the end of the first half, I was enjoying the miniseries a great deal and looked forward to seeing where the story would go. However, I found the second half less successful, not taking its intriguing set-up in any particularly surprising or interesting directions.
I appreciated the leisurely pace, atypical tenderness and strong focus on character development in the second half (the first half spends more time developing the story) but it all felt a little simplistic and sentimental, particularly in the film’s coda.
I also felt that a theme that was effectively explored in the first half, looking at the thin line between morally just and unjust violence, was cast aside in the second half, which was a shame.
However, maintaining a high standard across both episodes are the performances. Duvall is always worth watching, fitting the grizzled but lovable and honourable cowboy role like a glove. Church, meanwhile, is effectively quiet and understated, making for a more compellingly mysterious character. Scacchi is excellent too, rounding out the most interesting of the female characters. The Chinese girls are sadly a little underwritten, as is Gilpin.
As for the ‘villains’, Russo is suitably repulsive and Mulkey is frighteningly intense. The only weak link in the cast for me was Rusty Schwimmer. She’s rather hammy as ‘Big Rump’ Kate.
The film looks gorgeous, with great use made of the locations in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. The numerous scenes of horse-wrangling across the landscape are stunning. Only a couple of studio-bound night-camp sequences slightly betray its TV-production origins.
The score is fitting and impressive too. This time Van Dyke Parks and David Mansfield did the honours, though there’s a flavour of Cooder’s Long Riders soundtrack in there with its use of instrumentation fitting of the era and setting.
Overall then, Broken Trail is a handsome, engrossing western road movie that loses a little of its edge as it rolls along but I still enjoyed the ride.
Film:
Directed By… Walter Hill is out now on Blu-Ray, as part of the Imprint Collection. The Driver and Extreme Prejudice discs are labelled as being from Studiocanal, so I’m guessing they’re the same transfers as those I’ve reviewed before. However, when I took some screen grabs from Extreme Prejudice, they did look a little on the washed out side. I didn’t have the other disc to hand to compare, unfortunately and in my previous review I used publicity stills instead.
As for the other titles, they largely look fantastic, with crisp details and rich, natural colours. The Long Riders is an odd one though. For the most part, it looks as good as the other titles, but the occasional shot (almost always wides) looks rough and not quite as crisp as before. I’m guessing this must be a source issue as the rest of the film looks fantastic. I’ve used screengrabs throughout the review to give you an idea of how the films look, though these images have been compressed.
The films all sound great too, with multiple mix options when available. See below for full details.
SPECIAL FEATURES & TECH SPECS
HARD TIMES
– 1080p high-definition presentation
– Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
– Audio English DTS HD 5.1 Surround + LPCM 2.0 Stereo
– Optional English HOH subtitles
THE DRIVER
4K UHD DISC
– NEW 4K restoration by StudioCanal
– Walter Hill Masterclass – featurette
– Interview with Walter Hill
– Alternate Opening
– Original English Trailer
– Original German Trailer
– 13 Original Teasers
BLU-RAY DISC
– 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray from a restored 4K master
– NEW Audio Commentary by film historian and critic Matthew Asprey Gear (2022)
– NEW Cut to the Chase – actor Bruce Dern on The Driver (2022)
– NEW Teeth Bared – actor Rudy Ramos on The Driver (2022)
– NEW Simplicity in Motion: Editing The Driver – interview with editor Robert K. Lambert (2022)
– Isolated Score Track by Michael Small
– Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
– Audio English LPCM 2.0 Mono
– Optional English HOH subtitles
THE LONG RIDERS
DISC ONE
– 1080p high-definition presentation from a restored 4K master
– NEW Audio Commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson
– NEW Audio Commentary by film historian Toby Roan
– Theatrical Trailer
– Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
– Audio English DTS HD 5.1 Surround + LPCM 2.0 Mono
– Optional English HOH subtitles
DISC TWO
– Interview with actors Keith Carradine and Robert Carradine
– Interview with actors Stacy Keach and James Keach
– Interview with actor Randy Quaid
– Interview with actor Nicholas Guest
– Interview with director Walter Hill
– Interview with composer Ry Cooder
– Interview with producer Tim Zinnemann
– Outlaw Brothers: The Making of The Long Riders – documentary
– The Northfield Minnesota Raid: Anatomy of a Scene – featurette
– Slow Motion: Walter Hill on Sam Peckinpah – featurette
EXTREME PREJUDICE
– 1080p high-definition presentation from a restored 4K master
– NEW Audio Commentary by film critic / author Walter Chaw
– NEW Audio Commentary by film historians Daniel Kremer and Nat Segaloff
– Audio Commentary by film historians C. Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke
– Isolated Score Selections and audio interview with music historian John Takis
– Two interviews with director Walter Hill (2010 and 2019)
– The Major’s Agenda – interview with actor Michael Ironside
– The War Within – interview with actor Clancy Brown
– Capturing The Chaos – interview with director of photography Matthew F. Leonetti
– Original Trailers, Vintage EPK & Photo Gallery
– Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
– Audio English LPCM 2.0 Stereo
– Optional English HOH subtitles
JOHNNY HANDSOME
– 1080p high-definition presentation from a restored 4K master
– NEW Audio Commentary by film critic / author Walter Chaw
– NEW Audio Commentary by film historians Daniel Kremer and Scout Tafoya
– NEW Codes to Live By – Walter Hill on ‘Johnny Handsome’
– Wordsmith – interview with writer Ken Friedman (2010)
– Eye of the Beholder – interview with makeup artist Michael Westmore (2010)
– Action Man – interview with stuntman Allan Graf (2010)
– Theatrical Trailer
– Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
– Audio English LPCM 2.0 Stereo
– Optional English HOH subtitles
BROKEN TRAIL
– 1080p high-definition presentation
– Archival ‘making of’
– Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
– Audio English DTS HD 5.1 Surround + LPCM 2.0 Stereo
– Optional English HOH subtitles
It’s a well-stocked package in terms of extras, for the most part, but, bizarrely, there’s nothing of note on the Hard Times disc. The Eureka release I reviewed previously had a handful of interviews on it, so I’m not sure why these weren’t ported over. I guess Eureka, or whoever produced them, wouldn’t give them up.
That’s not the case with the discs for The Driver though, which thankfully expand a great deal on Studiocanal’s relatively sparse discs. I’m not going to review the extras that already cropped up on that release (the same goes with Extreme Prejudice) but will focus solely on the new additions.
Matthew Asprey Gear provides a decent commentary for The Driver. It offers a thoughtful discussion of the film, those involved and the genres it straddles. Gear occasionally takes a break during the car chases as he figures the audience wouldn’t be paying him any attention and I think that’s probably a wise choice.
‘Simplicity in Motion’ is a wonderful interview with Robert K. Lambert, the editor of The Driver. Being an editor myself and a huge fan of the cutting in the film, I greatly appreciated hearing Lambert’s thoughts.
In his interview, Bruce Dern gives a whistle-stop tour of his life and career. I wish it were longer but it’s still a lot of fun.
Rudy Ramos talks about the friendships he developed from his time on The Driver before talking about its reception and the shoot itself. It’s a relatively short piece but a welcome one.
The Long Riders disc, or rather discs, are loaded with extras. Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson analyse the film in depth in their commentary. They do a great job in helping you appreciate the many qualities of the film. It does turn into a love-in at times but, generally, it’s a worthwhile listen.
The other commentary on The Long Riders is by Toby Roan and sees the film historian begin by clearly setting up how the project came about and developed. He talks about the people involved and the truth behind the James brothers’ legend too. As such, it’s a rich and fascinating track.
There’s a feature-length documentary about the making of The Long Riders included too. This is detailed, honest and loaded with interviews with the principals. Covering every aspect of the production, it’s an excellent piece. Some anecdotes crop up elsewhere but this should be your starting point and it still has plenty of unique material.
‘The Northfield Minnesota Raid: Anatomy of a Scene’ sees the cast and crew break down the climactic scene in reasonable detail. It’s an interesting piece that makes you appreciate all the work that goes into such an intricate action sequence.
‘Bound By History’ sees Hill talk about The Long Riders. He talks with intelligence about his intentions behind the film. In addition to this, ‘Slow Motion – Walter Hill on Sam Peckinpah’ is made up of a story the director has told elsewhere in the set, so isn’t vital, though he does add a little extra at the end, I think (I’d seen so many Hill-related extras by this point I couldn’t be sure!).
‘The Brothers Keach’ sees the pair interviewed about the film. They describe how the project originated and developed. As such, it’s an excellent background piece. They speak with affection and good humour too, so it’s an easy watch.
‘The Brothers Carradine’ sees Keith and Robert talk about their involvement in the production. Like with the Keach piece, it has a friendly vibe that makes it enjoyable to watch. They say the shoot was like being on a summer camp, with grown men, many related, playing cowboys together.
Nicholas Guest also has fond memories of the shoot in his relatively short interview. Randy Quaid gets interviewed too. He takes a short while to find his groove but, by the end, warmly recollects his time on the film and promoting it. Producer Tim Zinnemann also provides a brief but handy overview of how the production came about.
There’s an interview with Ry Cooder too. He describes how he first met Hill and was brought on to The Long Riders. Then he goes on to discuss his approach to the music in the film. It’s a wonderful piece.
Studiocanal’s Extreme Prejudice release was already stacked with excellent special features but Imprint have taken these and added a whole heap more, to deliver the last word on the film.
Walter Chaw’s new commentary provides a clear but rich analysis of the film. It’s an excellent track that greatly helps you appreciate how Hill’s various qualities as a filmmaker shine through in this film.
Daniel Kremer and Nat Segaloff’s new commentary approaches the film from more of a historical angle, discussing the work of those involved and how Extreme Prejudice fits among it. There is some crossover between this and the other commentaries but I still got quite a lot from it.
There are two added interviews with Hill on the Extreme Prejudice disc. The 41-minute interview covers his whole career, influences and working practices rather than focusing on Extreme Prejudice, though it discusses that for a short while.
The longer, 59-minute interview with Hill again digs into his beginnings as an assistant for Peckinpah as well as his influences. He repeats some comments from the other interview but it’s still well worth watching both. In particular, I felt this interview took a more intellectual approach, discussing the changes in the film industry and how Hill’s work fit within these. Also, in the second half, Hill does speak specifically about Extreme Prejudice.
Walter Chaw is back to provide a commentary for Johnny Handsome. As with his Extreme Prejudice track, it offers a compelling, intelligent analysis of the film. I’m certainly going to be keeping an eye out for commentaries by him in the future.
Daniel Kremer and Scout Tafoya also feature in a commentary over Johnny Handsome. Theirs is another deeply analytic track, though they dig into Hill’s work more generally rather than commenting on what’s happening on screen. They’re a little more intellectual in approach too, so it doesn’t feel like a rehash of the Chaw track.
Hill appears again to talk about Johnny Handsome, providing a lengthy 43-minute interview. He explains how he got involved and speaks fondly of the cast. He also makes some interesting points about the film’s themes.
Screenwriter Ken Friedman talks about the film generally, as well as describing how he got involved. It’s a short but interesting piece.
Michael Westmore discusses his work on the special effects make-up on the film. He talks of the medical research done and the delicate balance of getting something that seemed realistic and made Rourke look ‘ugly’ but not too off-putting and still clearly him.
Allan Graf talks about his work as an actor and stuntman on the film. He’s worked with Hill many times, so has fond memories of working with the director, as well as the cast and crew of Johnny Handsome.
The Broken Trail disc is disappointingly sparse, but it does have a 23-minute archival ‘making of’. This is in SD (or upscaled from that, perhaps) and is a fairly typical EPK promo-style affair but it’s nice to hear from the principals about the production. Plus, you get to see some welcome behind-the-scenes footage.
The menu of the film also allows you to choose between watching the miniseries as one long film or in two parts, as originally aired.
So, whilst the Hard Times and Broken Trail discs are surprisingly bare-bones (or near enough), the other discs are so crammed-to-the-brim with excellent special features that I can’t rightly dock the score of this marvellous set. With such a strong selection of films, all with great rewatch value, and mountains of extras, it’s a very easy recommendation and is one of the only box sets capable of putting up a fight against Arrow’s Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest set for the release of the year.
Discs/Package:
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