Hard Ground
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The premise
Billy Bucklin escapes while being transported to Yuma prison and plans to form an army of desperadoes to control the Mexican border. To finance his band, he robs a stagecoach, kidnaps a beautiful woman to be sold into prostitution, and steals an army payroll wagon. An aging lawman persuades the governor to parole his brother-in-law, now serving a 20-year prison term for murder, to assist him and his green deputy to destroy the marauders.
How unusual is it?
Honestly? Not very — and that's the charm. It plays the hits, which is exactly the point for a cozy night in.
Rare specifics
Tap to find the other Hallmark movies that share it.
Who’s in it
Behind the camera
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Directed by
Written by
Did you know?
A few things that make this one stand out once you stack it up against every other Hallmark movie.
It's the only Hallmark movie in the catalog where the lead is a prisoner.
The backstory
- Filmed in California.
- Music by Joe Kraemer.
Hard Ground is a 2003 western television film directed by Frank Q. Dobbs, and starring Burt Reynolds and Bruce Dern. It was the final film directed by Dobbs. The cinematography was made by Maximo Munzi.
How it stacks up
Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.
Among the lower-rated Hallmark movies — the median is 6.4.
Meet the characters
Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.
John 'Chill' McKay
LeadParoled gunman recruited to fight outlaws
hardenedredemptivetoughElizabeth Kennedy
Love interestKidnapped woman
Love interest
resilientbraveBilly Bucklin
AntagonistEscaped outlaw leader
Chief villain
ruthlessambitiouscruelSheriff Hutch Hutchinson
SupportingLawman
Chill's brother-in-law and ally
agingdoggedprincipledJoshua
SupportingDeputy
Hutch's deputy
greeneagerGeneral Jesus Navarro
SupportingBorder figure
Faction in the border conflict
Questions people ask about Hard Ground
How long is Hard Ground?
Hard Ground runs about 1 hour and 33 minutes, and was released in 2003.
More like this
Browse all moviesNothing close enough to suggest yet — the full catalog is a good place to wander.
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Data and sources
HallmarkDB catalogue. How we research filmsData refreshed .