The Harder They Fall

A wild bunch of good, bad and ugly outlaws fight over a few more than a fistful of dollars with true grit, before, after and during high noon, saddles ablaze with nothing to dodge, magnificent as many times as you like, wherever you decide to search, on any number of trains to Yuma, along as many red rivers as you can trace, stagecoaches at the ready, with Winchesters drawn, pistols locked, cocked and loaded.

Great performances and direction in a genre that had lost its momentum and mojo over the years, but as seen here, can still surprise and engage, with not too much variation from an overcooked theme.

And then the Martian tried to make a western. A painfully slow epic which steals from every western genre that came before it, but then it lapses into reggae musical interludes. And the gratuitous violence against everybody, Jesus... and no story. Well, there is a story, but the film meanders so much you don't care. The weirdest thing I've ever seen. Watch 3:10 to Yuma again, instead...or maybe The Harder They Come ;=)

The Harder they Fall (2021) is a movie the wife and I recently watched on Netflix. The storyline follows a young man who suffered a horrific past when he whitenessed his parents murdered. When he discovers the man responsible recently escaped from jail he puts together a team to hunt him down and obtain revenge.

This movie is directed by Jeymes Samuel (They Die by Dawn) and stars Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country), Zazie Beetz (The Joker), Regina King (Ray), LaKeith Stanfield (Get Out), Idris Elba (Thor), Delroy Lindo (Clockers) and Danielle Deadwyler (The Devil to Pay).

The storyline for this picture had fantastic potential and worthwhile primary and sub plots. The characters are well written, both in terms of backstories and dialogue. The attention to detail and cinematography in this is out of this world; however at times, there's too much focus on style over substance which slows the pace of the film a bit too much. I will say the conclusion is excellent.

The cast is very well selected and everyone delivers their characters perfectly. The action sequences are executed and delivered with entertaining levels of grit and intensity. The soundtrack for this is out of this world good.

Overall this is a very well done movie that is entertaining and worth a viewing; however, it doesn't reach its full potential. I'd score this a 7/10 and strongly recommend seeing it.

The opportunity to view a black western appealed to me. It is hard not to see and feel racial overtones dominating the storyline.

Great acting but the direction felt like there was too much modern racial tension. Sort of a cowboys in the hood feel. The story was pretty loose. Clean camera work, great backdrop and props. Lack of diversity left me feeling it went past it's purpose. Clean production.

This movie has so much style that substance is barely required. Yes, there were Black cowboys. Yes, these people existed. But this movie is mostly focused on (a) a ridiculously talented cast, (b) a familiar revenge tale, (c) amazing scenery/cinematography, (d) an absolutely banging soundtrack. By the end, you almost forget how whitewashed (and often boring) Westerns were for 100 years. It is big, bombastic, violent, unapologetic, and sexy as Hell. You may not love it, but you will 100% be entertained.