Emperor of the North Pole

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Emperor of the North Pole ★★★ Emperor of the North 1973 (PG)

Violent and well-done tale of hobos riding the rails during the Depression has Marvin as A#1, a legendary hobo who can get on any train, and his protege Cigaret (Carradine), trying to catch a ride on the train of sadistic conductor Shack (Borgnine), who's been known to kill to keep the hobos away. Tense and gritty, with the usual tight direction of Aldrich, beautiful cinematography, and a gripping screenplay. Borgnine is exceptional among a very strong cast. 118m/C VHS, DVD . Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Keith Carradine, Charles Tyner, Malcolm Atterbury, Simon Oakland, Harry Caesar, Hal Baylor, Matt Clark, Elisha Cook Jr., Liam Dunn, Robert Foulk, Ray Guth, Sid Haig, Vic Tayback; D: Robert Aldrich; W: Christopher Knopf; C: Joseph Biroc; M: Frank DeVol.