Review: The Harder They Fall

Directed by: Jeymes Samuel

Written by: Jeymes Samuel & Boaz Yakin

Starring: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield

Rating: [4/5]

Seeking revenge comes with the carnal and emotional need to fulfill the flawed belief of “an eye for an eye.” it will not necessarily make the aggrieved person whole but will hopefully create a catharsis providing final closure from the inciting incident. We get this as the driving force in The Harder They Fall but everything else in the feature, from the characters and the way it gets shown, makes for such a raucous and enjoyable ride. 

Operating as an outlaw, Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) runs around trying to correct the wrongs of his past and enact revenge for the murder of his father. With his ultimate goal of killing the man directly responsible in Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), he learns of Buck’s escape presenting the opportunity to kill him once and for all leading to a clash between two groups with various intentions. 

Filled with a host of terrific Black actors and a fun story, The Harder They Fall delivers on its promise on multiple fronts as we get so many terrific characters to follow all allowing this film to be easily watchable and thoroughly entertaining. While the central tension exists between Love’s hatred for Buck and his insistence in murdering the man because of revenge, the various side characters brought into the story on both sides of the issue add multiple layers while also adding some levity to the situation. 

One of the better ones came with Lakeith Stanfield’s portrayal of Cherokee Bill with his opening moments during the breakout scene of Buck demonstrating everything about him. His entire speech about him not being violent but others being in the presence of someone capable of violence cleverly establishes his ability while also highlighting the strong screenplay powering this feature through. Bill becomes quite the potential adversary for the overly confident Jim Beckwourth (RJ Cyler) as they both claim to be the quickest draw and sharpshooters in the land. Then you have someone like Trudy Smith portrayed brilliantly by the always-great Regina King who brings this menacing figure to life in this story. Someone with her own aspirations and demands recognition other than existing as Rufus Buck’s right hand. These characters add so much to the story and ultimately contribute to what makes this feature so much fun to watch. 

As wild as these characters present themselves in this feature, they represent real individuals who existed during this time in the American West. Quite often historical Black figures receive a relegation in recognition, especially in the older Westerns, which typically focussed on the white cowboys taking on the indigenous in their battles. Whenever Black Americans appear in those classic Westerns, they usually serve subservient service roles even though they had a larger impact as displayed in this feature. Some fictionalization certainly exists in what gets represented in the film, but they certainly existed and got involved in situations as shown here. 

This runs along with the truth of the racism existing at that time, which occurs in one specific bank robbery scene. These individuals may thrive in their own ways in this world, but they must still contend with the reality of the systems in place to make white individuals hate them above all else. It allows for a sober reminder to these characters of the fighting they do amongst themselves when a larger issue still surrounds them when it comes to those sheriffs and deputies out there searching for them. 

Thus we have the historical context with this period piece also accompanied by a hip-hop soundtrack to add a different flavor to what we see on-screen. With Jay-Z receiving a producer credit, he brings his influence including the very fun song “Guns Go Bang” that plays in the film. It allows for this clash of modern and classic approaches to this story making it quite refreshing to watch but also grounded in the setting it allows for some incredibly entertaining gunfights to watch, especially with the stakes involved for the characters. 

Directing the feature we have Jeymes Samuel, who heavily impresses with the slickness he displays in compiling this entire feature. He makes the feature so stylish in its presentation while also highlighting the truly distinguishable moments of the screenplay to tell this complete story. He helps create a meaningful arc for love and his confrontation with Buck in such a satisfying way. For a feature film debut, he manages this ensemble cast spectacularly well. 

Infectiously fun and supremely well-crafted, The Harder They Fall serves as one of those Westerns anyone could find enjoyment in taking in and watching. So incredibly stylish and filled with so many charismatic actors to bring these characters to life. Plenty of blood gets shed but with purpose and with heated rivalries coming to a boil in just the right moments, it allows for such a satisfying tale filled with real historically forgotten figures.