A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Harder They Fall” (2021).
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
I’ve referred to this as a Tarantino-esque western, but arguably this breed has its origins well before “Django Unchained” and “The Hateful 8“. As an old git, many of the slow-mo violent blood-spattering gun-battles in “The Harder They Fall” were reminiscent to me of Sam Peckinpah‘s “The Wild Bunch” from 1969.
Plot Summary:
Nat Love (Jonathan Majors), having suffered a traumatic childhood event, grows up with a hatred of Rufus Buck (Idris Elba) and his gang. On a mission of revenge, he picks off those directly responsible for his trauma. But Buck is unreachable in a state prison. All that is about to change though, as Buck is transported across country by train.
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, LaKeith Stanfield, Zazie Beets, Regina King, Delroy Lindo.
Directed by: Jeymes Samuel.
Written by: Jeymes Samuel, Boaz Yakin.
“The Harder They Fall” Review:
Positives:
- This is certainly a revisionist Western, featuring as it does a cast composed almost exclusively of people of colour. And what a cast it is. Idris Elba (here truly imposing in the movie, a force of evil and genuinely threatening); Delroy Lindo (familiar to me from his regular role in TV’s “The Good FIght”); LaKeith Stanfield (so good in “Judas and the Black Messiah“); Regina King (flipping back in front of the camera again after the brilliant “One Night in Miami“) and Zazie Beets (she of “Deadpool 2” fame who here again makes a striking and memorable impression as a female lead). I wasn’t familiar with Jonathan Majors’ work, but he makes a strong impression here in the lead.
- As the opening title says “While the events in this story are fictional. These. People. Existed.”, and having this focus on the people of colour – often ex-slaves – who seem to have been whitewashed out of most movie Westerns in the past is an eye-opener. (There’s a good article in Time magazine here looking at the real-life characters featured in the film). Of course, having ALL of these black characters condensed into one plot feels very strange and unnatural. But – hey – it makes for an interesting statement.
- The cinematography (by Mihai Malaimare Jr.) is impressive, with many tight shots of people (and horses!) from strange angles. There’s a spectacular zoom, from Buck out of a saloon window all the way up the dusty street to where Love is sitting on a horse, that feels like showing off! But it’s memorable nevertheless!
- A quirky score (selected by director Jeymes Samuel) and amusing graphics (“A White Town” – LOL) were entertaining, but again felt like they were aping Tarantino. Not necessarily a bad thing!
- There’s a great twist in the tale that I didn’t see coming.
Negatives:
- The action sequences have a surfeit of “stormtrooper syndrome”: all of the ‘good guys’ have perfect aim, yet the ‘bad guys’ pepper the street with lead and seldom hit anyone. There are also times when a lot of speechifying goes on when you just think they should be reacting to that old Scott Evil prompt of “JUST SHOOT HIM!”.
- A number of the actors muttered their lines, which often suited the mood. But what with that and the sound balance sometimes being a bit off, I was sometimes struggling to understand the dialogue.
- The callousness and violence of the piece I found to be a bit numbing overall. It’s a great western, but I can’t say I found it uplifting and speed to rewatch it.
Summary Thoughts on “The Harder They Fall”
Westerns have been out of fashion for many years, but each year tends to see cinema testing the waters again with a few offerings. 2021 has now seen two good ones… with this and “News of the World“.
I really wasn’t expecting much from this, but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a movie that has some memorable moments. At nearly 140 minutes I felt it outstayed its welcome by about 20 minutes. But otherwise I’d recommend you give it a try.
Trailer for “The Harder They Fall”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Poc55U2RPMw .
