I have long been a Charles Bronson fan.  Some of his movies were just all right, a handful were great.  Hard Times is what I consider to be his best work.  Never a fan of James Coburn, he did an excellent job in the role of Speed.  Strother Martin (you might have seen him in Cool Hand Luke; if not, I recommend it) is fun to watch.  Jill Ireland was...well, not at her best, but then she didn't have much of a role.  The tone of the movie is outstanding: it really captures the tough grittiness of the Great Depression era.  I have lost count of the number of times I have watched this movie.