Hard Times

Hard Times (1975)

50 mistakes - chronological order

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Continuity mistake: During the bar fight, the balls change position on the billiard table multiple times depending on the camera angle. (00:00:37)

Sammo

Continuity mistake: At the 'champagne breakfast', Lucy asks Chaney how does he "make money." Her purse's handle is up, then down. It happens again in the same scene when Chaney makes the joke about him "feeling better" than the other guy when he is not the one getting KOd. (00:00:42)

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Factual error: The movie is set during the Great Depression, in 1933, but Charles Bronson gets in town aboard of a freight train pulled by an EMD NW5 diesel locomotor, introduced over a decade later. (00:01:15)

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Continuity mistake: Look at Charles Bronson's sideburns in his close-ups on the moving train at the beginning of the beginning of the movie. The hair grows longer when it gets closer to the hat and to the top of his ear. When he hops off the train, his hair appears to have a much closer shave, evened well above the ear. (00:01:35)

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Other mistake: Bronson arrives in town hitching a ride in a boxcar. He hops off and begins walking along a different track. In the next shot, you can see in the background the same freight train he left, already moving in the opposite direction. (00:02:10)

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Factual error: When Bronson is walking into the city through the railroad deposit, he walks by unused wagons branded Missouri Pacific Lines. The wagon bears the slogan "Route of the Eagles" which was coined and standardized on wagons only in the late 40s. The movie is set in the depression years. (00:02:45)

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Continuity mistake: The not-so-friendly waitress tells Chaney he has to pay a nickel for his third refill of coffee. During this bit, the newspaper on the counter keeps changing position between shots; open, folded one way, folded facing the opposite direction. (00:03:45)

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Audio problem: The very first punch we see thrown in the movie happens when Spencer 'Speed' Weed 's man, 'Chuck Boy', swings at the opponent. It is a wide shot, and even from that distance you can see a lot of light between the haymaker and the opponent's face, but of course there's a thunderous sound as if the guy got socked hard in the mush. (00:05:45)

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Continuity mistake: When Chuck is taking a beating after failing to corner his opponent, look at the guy in a red tie cheering by them; out of nowhere has a cigarette pops in his mouth, he chews it with a De Niro-esque underbite, and it disappears suddenly at the cut. (00:06:35)

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Character mistake: In the first fight, there's a reaction shot where Speed shouts jubilant "Yes, yes!" when his own fighter misses with his attack and doubles over hit by a painful kick in the gut. That's a mighty weird thing to cheer on. (00:07:00)

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Continuity mistake: Speed is having oysters after the losing effort with his first combatant. He glances back at his table and spots a smiling Charles Bronson suddenly there. Notice the position of the towel; when he gets back to the table with his refill of mussels a moment later, the towel changed position. (00:08:05)

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Audio problem: After the flawless victory, Chaney and Speed head via train to Speed's home turf, New Orleans. The name of the city though is dubbed in a pause of the dialogue by a voice that does not even sound like James Coburn's while he opens his suitcase. You can even see that his tongue and mouth don't move to articulate the word. (00:11:35)

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Continuity mistake: When Chaney says momentarily goodbye to Speed Weed and Gayleen Schoonover at the New Orleans station, the passengers walking off the train and behind Bronson change with no consistency between shot and reverse angle. (00:12:25)

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Factual error: In the establishing shot of the street where Chaney rents in 1930s New Orleans, you can see the sign for Angel Sheet Metal Works, which was created in 1968. (00:13:15)

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Continuity mistake: When Chaney gets his cup of coffee at the diner where he spots Lucy Simpson for the first time, the cup turns on its own between shots, as shown by the position of its handle The cup faces away from him again at the end of the sequence when he decides to go be a manly man and molest her. (00:14:50)

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Continuity mistake: In a hint to his gambling habits, we see Speed at home marking on the newspaper some of the races. He is wearing a shirt. Cut, and he's sitting in his tank top, the shirt is on the back of the chair. (00:17:00)

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Continuity mistake: Speed is on the balcony when he hears someone ringing downstairs. You can see on the table a packet of smokes and matches. Speed then tosses the newspaper on the table, gets the door, and when he returns to the balcony with Chaney those objects change position. (00:17:05)

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Continuity mistake: In the fight at the dock where Robert Tessier makes his first appearance, he repeatedly hurts his young opponent letting him hurt his hands punching his bald dome. He parries a kick and knocks the youngster down with a cross. Pay attention to the guys by the donut on the boat; the guy in the mustard coat has his hands on/off the railing between shots. The group of four by that life preserver changes position even more noticeably a few seconds after when Henry gives a proper beating and yells "Somebody help this kid up." (00:21:30)

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Speed: Well, you know Chick, like old momma said, next best thing to playing and winning is playing and losing.

More quotes from Hard Times

Trivia: By open admission of one of the original artwork designer Akira "Akiman" Yasuda, the movie (known in Japan as "The Street Fighter") inspired at least 2 of the most iconic backgrounds of the game Street Fighter 2: it is really obvious when you watch the fight between Jim Henry and "the kid", on the docks with a boat in the background much like in Ken 's stage. The cage fight against Henry inspired also Zangief's stage. (00:19:30 - 00:47:50)

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More trivia for Hard Times

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