Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Ernest Borgnine is the meanest sonofabitch on the railroad and Lee Marvin is the hobo who gives him a hard time riding the rails. The period is the Depression when hobos rode the rails with impunity and it was up to hard-as-nails guys like Ernest to stop them. Robert Aldrich's "Emperor of the North" is one of his male-orientated pictures, displaying a good deal of his signature brutality and while it's a minor work in the Aldrich canon it has much to recommend it; here it's the duel to the death between Marvin and Borgnine who makes for a truly nasty villain and is just one of the reasons why this is such a ridiculously entertaining picture. Nice work too from a young Keith Carradine as a fellow hobo with aspirations to take Marvin's crown as 'Emperor of the North'.

Set on the rails in the northwest during the great depression Emperor of the North is on the surface a tale of hobos and trains. Marvin portrays A No. 1 reigning king of the Hobos. His counterpoint is Borgnine, as Shack the sadistic train conductor. Rounding out the cast is Carradine as Cigaret a young up start hobo trying to make a name for himself on the rails.We get a glimpse of what Makes Shack tick in one of the opening scenes of the film after her brains a hobo with a hammer when he catches him riding for free on his train. His maniacal grin as the nameless hobo is crushed under the train is worth the price of admission. A No. 1 posts for all to see that he is going to ride the #19, Shacks train on the water tower at the station. No one has ridden the train without paying and lived to tell the tale. Brash new comer Cigaret wants to claim the crown as top Hobo and announces his plan to ride the train as well. A No. 1 views Cigaret as a poser and braggart but eventually attempts to teach him the secrets of being a successful hobo and give him some life lessons.The rest of the film focuses upon the conflict between these three men upon the #19 train. The climactic battle between Shack and A No. 1 that concludes the film is amazing. Picture if you will a battle involving two by fours, chains, a hammer and an Axe upon a moving train. The cinematography in the film is top notch. They really managed to capture the spirit of being on a steam engine chugging down the line. If you have a thing for trains this is sure to be right up your alley. Similarly the costumes and set pieces certainly seem like authentic depression era garb and equipment. The film evokes thoughts of black and white depression era pictures of work camps and unemployment lines.Additionally the themes of class and generational warfare permeate the film. It seems as if the film is attempting to get the audience to examine their own perceptions of other classes of people and their interactions with them. The film is set in a time of great upheaval in America when destitute masses searched for food, work and hope along the roads and rails in America. The hero A. No. 1 manages to keep his humanity, humor and sense of purpose despite the state he finds himself in. This film is defiantly worth checking out it may remind you a bit of a Peckinpah film. He was actually in negotiations to direct the film until money and control problems derailed the project. Aldrich does an admirable job in his own right at the helm making this a film worth viewing.

Having been a supporting actor for years in pictures such as Marlon Brando's 'The Wild One' ( 1953 ), tough guy Lee Marvin unexpectedly acquired leading man status as the '60's drew to a close. His Oscar-winning turn as the drunken cowboy 'Kid Shelleen' in 'Cat Ballou' ( 1965 ) helped, of course, but the role that really turned round his fortunes was that of 'Major Reisman' in Robert Aldrich's 'The Dirty Dozen' ( 1967 ). 'Point Blank!' and 'Paint Your Wagon' ( 1969 ) followed in due course. He was an unlikely star; for one thing, he was not young, and his distinctive deep voice and white hair precluded him from doing too many roles that did not cast him as some grizzled, hard bitten adventurer. In 1973, he was reunited with Aldrich, producer Kenneth Hyman, and actor Ernest Borgnine for this splendid adventure film, scripted by Christopher Knopf. Set in Depression era America, unemployed men - nicknamed 'hobos' by the railroad companies - travel across the country in search of work by stowing away whenever they can on passing trains. The companies fight back by hiring guards to ensure their trains stay hobo-free. One such guard is Shack ( Borgnine ), a sadistic monster who apparently regards the train as his personal property, and any tramp who tries to get on can expect to be either maimed or killed. One poor soul who does this at the start of the film receives a hammer blow to the skull, followed by the removal of his legs as he tumbles onto the track.But a threat to Shack's kingdom appears in the unlikely form of an unnamed drifter ( Marvin ) calling himself 'A No.1'. He decides to take Shack on. Spotting A No.1 climbing into a train compartment, Shack bolts the roof hatch, trapping him. He starts a fire, and when the wooden walls have burnt sufficiently crashes through them to freedom. A younger man, Cigaret ( Keith Carradine ) is impressed. A No.1 becomes a folk hero to other hobos, earning himself the title 'Emperor Of The North Pole', setting the scene for an epic confrontation between the tramp and the railroad man...As was the case with 'Dirty Dozen', the cast is mostly all male ( there are a couple of amusing moments which feature women - Cigaret spies a lady shaving her armpits, and a baptist pushes a woman into a river to cleanse her of sin and when she emerges her white gown has become transparent and her breasts can be seen ), and Marvin dominates the film. Watching the quick thinking A No.1 outwit Shack at every turn is a joy. Imagine a Charlie Chaplin picture with blood and you have 'Emperor Of The North Pole'. The film was criticised on its release for its violence, but I think it was necessary to show the audience what sort of a vile creature Shack was. It makes his final defeat all the more satisfying. Borgnine is terrific, throwing hammers round, a grin on his face, like an insane version of the Marvel Comics' super-hero 'Thor'. Another I.M.D.B. reviewer has made comparisons with John Frankenheimer's 'The Train' ( 1965 ) and I think its a realistic one. In the pre-C.G.I. age, action scenes on moving trains such as the ones seen here had to be done for real, making the film all the more exciting and believable.If you like outdoor adventure films and don't give a fig if the leading man looks old enough to be your grandfather, give this a go. In the U.K., the title was shortened to 'Emperor Of The North' so as not to give the misleading impression it was set in the North Pole.

Interesting, quasi-political film of depression era hobo (Lee Marvin) - famous within hobo circles for being able to ride any train - trying to ride one guarded by meanest guy in the world (Ernest Borgnine). He picks up a young protégé (a very young Keith Carradine) along the way who -- after much resistance - he accepts as the start of the next generation of men who live by their wits and go their own way.The acting is solid throughout. The score is a bit much at times, and some of the writing is variable, but there are good scenes and thoughtful ideas about the battle between 'freedom' and playing by the rules along the way. Aka 'The Emperor of the North'.