A woman of the railcars (Barbara Hershey) and her labor organizing lover (David Carradine) dodge anti-Union forces in the Depression-era South and resort to armed robbery. Boxcar Bertha was a Bonnie and Clyde knockoff produced by Roger Corman which also marked the sophomore outing for Martin Scorsese as a director. The production is important because it taught the great director economy and fundamentals about moviemaking, and the film itself is a modest B-picture, with an enjoyable, folksy first half giving way to an exploitative, violent, over the top finale. Hershey and Carradine prove very fine in their roles.
