MOVIE REVIEW: THE HARDER THEY FALL

“The Harder They Fall” is simply the greatest western film to ever be released on screen. I say this because these films are notoriously easy to fall asleep on, which is virtually impossible with high noon violence from curtains up to down.

The score plays a large role in the speed of the film. Who would have thought that the island vibes of dancehall and reggae could fit so right in a dusty and dry time period? Of course the hip-hop has already been proven to enchance the Western since “Django Unchained” and it’s no different here as the sounds of Kid Cudi, Lauryn Hill, and executive producer Jay-Z paint the soundscape of the film, but dancehall was uncharted territory until now and the results of the experiment are nothing short of a success. October 2021 was a golden renaissance of film and “The Harder They Fall” is a proud part of that time capsule. “Fast & The Furious” franchise excluded, any film with Idris Elba starting out in chains is going to be certified !

Primarily the cast and crew are all Afro-centric, so “The Harder They Fall” could easily fall into the category of a Blaxploitation film, but Samuel’s film is just too mature to stay in that conversation. The cast are easy to enjoy Yaken and Samuel’s screenplay keep the players as fast with their tongues as they are with their guns. Malaimare’s shots are for the memory as cowboys get gunned down just to have horses run behind their carcasses like a tumbleweed and money gets thrown in saloons like a modern strip club frequented by radio hit rappers’ on promo tours. The pacing doesn’t leave the audience room to breathe or close an eye. The predictable romance and damsel in distress scenes are far from forced, and are actually … fun. Usually watching Western films with their bloated run times and played out plot lines are like getting dragged through the desert, this has Zazie Beetz and Regina King in a dream match, Delroy Lindo portraying the legendary Bass Reeves, and even though the story devolves into a deus ex machina , it’s excusable : because there is really only so many stories that can be told in that time period, but never with this much vigor.

I strongly believe that the efforts of Samuels’ and the company that make up “The Harder They Fall” will be aspired to for years to come, but never will they be duplicated. The Western is one of the earliest genres within the film industry, in 2021 the best western was released under the title : “The Harder They Fall”. A certain hotel chain might want to consider changing it’s name.

Score : 5/5