20th Century Fox
Not part of a collection.
Emperor of the North
If you can ride Shack's Train and Live - You'll be...
Hobos encounter a sadistic railway conductor that will not let anyone "ride the rails" for free.
- Original title
- Emperor of the North
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
John Chard
Sep 25, 2014 · via TMDB
Nobody gets a free ride on this train! It's the great depression and the US is now home to many homeless hobos. Shack is a particularly nasty piece of work, devoid of any compassion for the homeless, he prides himself on not letting any one ride free aboard the train he conducts upon. But in the midst is hobo supreme, A No. 1, a man who is never afraid to take up a challenge, so along with Cigaret, a young wannabe legend, he sets about destroying Shack's reputation whilst furthering his own. Make no bones about it, Emperor Of The North Pole is unashamedly macho, director Robert Aldrich filling his picture with machismo beefcakes and molding a story of brawn versus brawn aboard the unlikely setting of a steam train journey. Boasting Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine (both excellent) as the twin main leads signals the films intent, yet the picture offers more than just egotistical bluster. We get a very engrossing feel of a most depressing time in history, a time when men wanted to be men but were struck down by misfortune. Some of the dialogue is very sharp, listen to Marvin's A No. 1's wry observations on the world and you know that this film has quite a bit to say. The other major thing to note is that some of the technical work is brilliant, the photography from Joseph F. Biroc is priceless, and some of the train sequences are feasts for the eyes. Aldrich's undervalued flair for action also comes to the fore here, from a near miss train crash to the defining confrontation between our two pit bull protagonists, it really is a most accomplished piece across the board. Even young Keith Carradine as Cigaret comes out with much credit, it would have been easy for him to have been lost under the sheer weight of the beef talent around him, but he holds his own and is integral to the picture's ultimate success. It's a difficult one to recommend with any great confidence because it has kind of got an acquired taste to it, but to me it remains one of the 70s hidden treasures. Simply put it's a film that I'm always going to have the utmost regard for. 9/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Lee Marvin
A No. 1
Ernest Borgnine
Shack
Keith Carradine
Cigaret
Charles Tyner
Cracker
Malcolm Atterbury
Hogger
Simon Oakland
Policeman
Harry Caesar
Coaly
Hal Baylor
Yardman's Helper
Matt Clark
Yardlet
Elisha Cook Jr.
Gray Cat
Liam Dunn
Smile
Robert Foulk
Conductor
Jim Goodwin
Fakir
Raymond Guth
Preacher
Sid Haig
Grease Tail
Karl Lukas
Pokey Stiff
John Steadman
Stew Bum
Vic Tayback
Yardman
Dave Willock
Groundhog
Don Blackman
Old Shine (uncredited)
Jack Collins
Dispatcher (uncredited)
Lance Henriksen
Railroad Worker (uncredited)
Harry Hickox
Elder (uncredited)
Bern Hoffman
Halfy (uncredited)
Wayne Sutherlin
Gink (uncredited)
Joseph F. Biroc
Director of Photography
Robert Aldrich
Director
Michael D. Moore
Second Unit Director
Michael Luciano
Editor
Frank De Vol
Original Music Composer
Jack London
Story
Christopher Knopf
Writer
Ca-Bau-Kan
Prague at Zero Hour
The Green Mile
Powderkeg
Sarabha
It's a Wonderful Life
Double Indemnity
The Sting
Mirror
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Amarcord
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Stand by Me
Gloomy Sunday
Strangers on a Train
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Last Emperor
The Goonies
The Remains of the Day
Cabaret
Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken
Two Alone
Lion of the Desert
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Of Mice and Men
The Devil's Backbone
The Boys in the Boat
Closely Watched Trains
God Does Not Believe in Us Anymore
The Thirteenth Floor
John Rabe
Rabbit-Proof Fence
City of Women
Indochine
Maverick
Secret Lives
Lady Sings the Blues
American Madness
Wendy and Lucy
Gosford Park
Mean Creek
Water
I Capture the Castle
Death Hunt
Jimmy's Hall
Public Enemies
'G' Men
Australia
The Children of Huang Shi
The Legend of Bagger Vance
Breakheart Pass
Young and Innocent
The Sleeping Dictionary
Fabian: Going to the Dogs
Genius
The Cotton Club
The Grifters
Prefontaine
Tommy
Tea with Mussolini
The Mummy Returns
The Day of the Locust
Me and Orson Welles
Big Nothing
Old Joy
Live by Night
Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight
Thumbsucker
Blues in the Night
Bucharest - Vienna, 8:15
One Room Tenants
Pennies from Heaven
Switchback
Elemental: Hydrogen vs. Hindenburg
The Trap
The Woman of Wrath
Prosperity
Sirens
Ask the Dust
Let the Cat Out of the Bag
Avalanche Express
Before the Rains
For Love Alone
Young Fugitives
Drums of Africa
Michael M.
Stand by Me
The Secret Life of Bees
Hunting Season
Remember
Interstate 60
3:10 to Yuma
Brute Force
Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist The Movie
Murder on the Orient Express
High Sierra
The Enforcer
The Darkest Minds
Runaway Train
Lean on Pete
Hostile Territory
They Drive by Night
Dragonheart: Vengeance
The Shepherd
I Am David
The Count of Monte Cristo
Battleground
Strings
The Parts You Lose
Limbo
F.I.S.T.
Convict
Weekend in Taipei
Black Gold
Man with No Past
Rise of the Footsoldier 3
Space Cowboys
Gangster Squad
The Commuter
El Gringo
The Red House
The Death of Robin Hood
The Organization
Stolen Girl
Rogue Agent
Gemini Man
Surviving the Game
Last Man Down
Marvel Rising: Playing with Fire
Overdrive
Dirt
The Call of the Wild
Pinocchio
Stormageddon
Metropia
Staten Island
Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure
The Crew
Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui
Robin Hood
Road to Paloma
The House on Carroll Street
Mythica: A Quest for Heroes
6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain
May 23, 1973
