"Boxcar Bertha" is an enjoyable, if unmemorable, exploitation film that was one of a number of obvious "Bonnie & Clyde" cash-ins. It's mostly noteworthy for the fact that producer Roger Corman hired a young up and comer to direct it: Martin Scorsese. While admirers of the filmmaker may rightly feel that he's done MUCH better work, this is still a good film of its kind: decently paced, engagingly performed, quite violent at times, and occasionally sporting that Scorsese style.
A radiant and gorgeous Barbara Hershey plays a real-life Depression era character named Bertha Thompson. Bertha falls in with an odd group of companions that become her partners in crime: Big Bill Shelly (David Carradine), a union organizer with no burning desire to live the criminal life, Rake Brown (Barry Primus), a cowardly con artist, and Von Morton (Bernie Casey), an old Thompson family friend.
Hershey and Carradine, her real-life romantic partner at the time, get some very effective chemistry going, with the latter delivering a likable if somewhat low key performance. It's also irresistible to see Carradine acting with his legendary father, John Carradine (who plays railroad kingpin H. Buckram Sartoris), in a key robbery sequence. Buffs will also recognize beefy veteran character actor Victor Argo as one of the heavies and the equally solid Harry Northup as a hostile, racist cop. Although they don't show up in the movie, two minor characters get named Emeric Pressburger and M. (Michael) Powell!
Scorsese was given free reign to do pretty much what he wanted, provided that he stay within the exploitation genre, and under the budget of approximately $600,000. He does a very capable job of telling this story, keeping it watchable all the way through.
For those who care, *both* Hershey and Carradine get naked.
Six out of 10.
A radiant and gorgeous Barbara Hershey plays a real-life Depression era character named Bertha Thompson. Bertha falls in with an odd group of companions that become her partners in crime: Big Bill Shelly (David Carradine), a union organizer with no burning desire to live the criminal life, Rake Brown (Barry Primus), a cowardly con artist, and Von Morton (Bernie Casey), an old Thompson family friend.
Hershey and Carradine, her real-life romantic partner at the time, get some very effective chemistry going, with the latter delivering a likable if somewhat low key performance. It's also irresistible to see Carradine acting with his legendary father, John Carradine (who plays railroad kingpin H. Buckram Sartoris), in a key robbery sequence. Buffs will also recognize beefy veteran character actor Victor Argo as one of the heavies and the equally solid Harry Northup as a hostile, racist cop. Although they don't show up in the movie, two minor characters get named Emeric Pressburger and M. (Michael) Powell!
Scorsese was given free reign to do pretty much what he wanted, provided that he stay within the exploitation genre, and under the budget of approximately $600,000. He does a very capable job of telling this story, keeping it watchable all the way through.
For those who care, *both* Hershey and Carradine get naked.
Six out of 10.