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Emperor of the North

Emperor of the North

Adventure · Drama · Action · 1973

Hobos encounter a sadistic railway conductor that will not let anyone "ride the rails" for free.

Movie details

Emperor of the North

“If you can ride Shack's Train and Live - You'll be...”

1973 Adventure · Drama · Action 1h 58m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

Hobos encounter a sadistic railway conductor that will not let anyone "ride the rails" for free.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Emperor of the North?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Robert Aldrich

Written by

Jack London · Christopher Knopf

Lee Marvin

Lee Marvin

A No. 1

Ernest Borgnine

Ernest Borgnine

Shack

Keith Carradine

Keith Carradine

Cigaret

Charles Tyner

Charles Tyner

Cracker

Malcolm Atterbury

Malcolm Atterbury

Hogger

Simon Oakland

Simon Oakland

Policeman

Harry Caesar

Harry Caesar

Coaly

Court is in session

Put Emperor of the North on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.