ReelBob: ‘The Harder They Fall’ ★★★
By Bob Bloom
“The Harder They Fall” is a mash-up of Sergio Leone’s high-concept grandeur, Quentin Tarantino’s self-confident attitude and Black-exploitation swagger.
The movie, in theaters now and debuting Nov. 3 on Netflix, is a 137-minute revenge saga that reminds you of Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in the West.”
“The Harder They Fall,” written by Jeymes Samuel and Boaz Yakin and directed by Samuel, is a fictional story populated by characters loosely based in Western history.
It is obvious that Samuel has an affection for Old Westerns. But his frontier is not populated by heroes wearing white hats battling bad guys adorned in black hats.
In fact, Samuel shows us a Black West with very few white people — or Native Americans — in sight.
This saga emphasizes style over character development — with visuals and a heterogeneous soundtrack taking precedence above everything else. The distinct music features reggae, hip-hop and African-influenced beats that let you know that this is not your grandfather’s John Ford, old-fashioned Western.
The film centers on a feud between two rival outlaw groups — the Nat Love and the Rufus Buck gangs.
The Love bandits rob from other outlaws, while the Buck bandits rob anything and anyone with money.
Jonathan Majors (“The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” “Da 5 Bloods,” “Lovecraft Country”) portrays Love, who is obsessed with avenging a childhood tragedy that cost him his parents.
His main nemesis is Buck, portrayed with menacing gravitas by Idris Elba.
The movie is propelled more by characters than plot. And a solid ensemble of performers keeps you riveted.
The Love gang is comprised of Nat’s love, Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beets); his right-hand man, Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi); fast-talking, gun-playing Jim Beckwourth (RJ Cyler) and Cuffee (Danielle Deadwyler, as Mary’s male-identifying saloon bouncer, who nearly steals the movie).
Riding with Buck is the quick-tempered and quick-shooting “Treacherous” Trudy Smith (Regina King) and sharpshooting and devious Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield).
Reluctantly allying himself with Love’s side is Delroy Lindo as veteran lawman Bass Reeves. Lindo has one of the best sequences in the movie — he strolls down the dusty town street that is controlled by Buck’s outlaws, while he methodically picks off bad guys as if they were ducks in a shooting gallery.
An interesting facet of the movie is its sound effects, in which gunshots seemingly explode from their weapons. The special effects, with blood gushing from bullet holes, are Tarantino-esque.
I won’t spoil the movie by divulging the reason for Love’s vendetta against Buck. Nor will I ruin a surprise twist in the last reel.
“The Harder They Fall” is a memorable experience; the best Western in years. And Samuel also allows for some sociological statements throughout, especially when the Love gang rides into a white town — and I do mean white — to rob, from necessity, its bank.
“The Harder They Fall” may be too long and bloody, but it is vigorous and enjoyable. This may not be how the West was won, but to paraphrase a line from John Ford’s classic, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.
THE HARDER THEY FALL
3 stars out of 4
(R), strong and graphic violence, language