Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- rugged
- confrontational
- propulsive
- classic action marathon
- gritty adventure night
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the film's elaborate train action, direction, and performances while finding its limited story and excessive violence unevenly focused.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
A No. 1's attempt to defeat Shack turns hobodom's struggle for dignity into a direct challenge to railroad authority.
The train journey, boarding attempts, fights, and dangerous rail maneuvers provide the film's defining visual and action identity.
The protagonists are homeless hobos riding freight trains across Depression-era America while confronting hostility from railroad workers.
A No. 1 teaches the brash young Cigaret the codes, risks, and tactics of riding the rails.
Films like Emperor of the North, and why
The Train
shared depression-era setting, railroad peril, rugged masculine adventure, and conflict between outsiders and authority
The Wild Bunch
shared working-class survival drama, forceful action direction, and morally stark confrontation with institutional power
Bound for Glory
shared dustbowl-era hardship, itinerant outsiders, and gritty journey through economic desperation
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Aldrich
- Release Date
- 1973-05-23
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (150)
Cast
- Lee Marvin
- Ernest Borgnine
- Keith Carradine
- Charles Tyner
- Malcolm Atterbury
- Simon Oakland
- Harry Caesar
- Hal Baylor
- Matt Clark
- Elisha Cook Jr.
Common questions
- What is Emperor of the North about?
- A legendary hobo wages a perilous battle of nerve against a sadistic Depression-era train conductor determined to keep his rails free of riders.
- What is Emperor of the North like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Emperor of the North as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Emperor of the North violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Emperor of the North as brutal.
- What did critics think of Emperor of the North?
- Critics broadly admired the film's elaborate train action, direction, and performances while finding its limited story and excessive violence unevenly focused.
- Which films are like Emperor of the North?
- Films with a similar feel include The Train, The Wild Bunch, and Bound for Glory.
- How long is Emperor of the North?
- Emperor of the North runs 118 minutes.
