Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- abrasive
- tense
- classic crime night
- martin scorsese retrospective
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film atmospheric and well acted but too derivative and unevenly shaped as exploitation crime drama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Bertha and union leader Big Bill Shelly become criminals while seeking revenge against railroad management during the Great Depression.
The critical reception specifically emphasizes blunt, unpleasant violence, including fights, shotgun blasts, beatings, and killings.
Scorsese prioritizes mood and atmosphere over action while working within a Roger Corman-style crime picture.
The central conflict links railroad management, union organizing, economic hardship, and outlaw retaliation.
Films like Boxcar Bertha, and why
Bonnie and Clyde
depression-era crime, labor conflict, blunt violence, and a doomed outlaw romance
The Grissom Gang
period crime melodrama combining criminal outsiders, romance, and harsh social conditions
Mean Streets
rough-edged crime drama centered on working-class criminals and morally corrosive violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Release Date
- 1972-06-14
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (259)
Cast
- Barbara Hershey
- David Carradine
- Barry Primus
- Bernie Casey
- John Carradine
- Victor Argo
- David Osterhout
- Harry Northup
- Joe Reynolds
- Marianne Dole
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Boxcar Bertha about?
- Against the brutal backdrop of Depression-era railroad exploitation, a young woman and a union radical turn outlawry into a violent form of revenge.
- What is Boxcar Bertha like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Boxcar Bertha as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Boxcar Bertha violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Boxcar Bertha as graphic.
- What did critics think of Boxcar Bertha?
- Critics broadly found the film atmospheric and well acted but too derivative and unevenly shaped as exploitation crime drama.
- Which films are like Boxcar Bertha?
- Films with a similar feel include Bonnie and Clyde, The Grissom Gang, and Mean Streets.
- How long is Boxcar Bertha?
- Boxcar Bertha runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch Boxcar Bertha?
- In United States, Boxcar Bertha streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
