The Harder They Fall (2021)- BFI London Film Festival 2021

Review

130min

Genre:       Action, Thriller, Western

Director:     Jeymes Samuel

Cast:         Idris Elba, Regina King, Jonathan Majors…and more

Writers:     Jeymes Samuel and Boaz Yakin

-Synopsis-

In the old American west, a vengeful outlaw assembles his rag-tag crew for some payback on his fearsome recently-released enemy and his own gang, in this classic yet modern ensemble tune-charged revenge thriller and African American perspective on the wild west from musician-turned-filmmaker Jeymes Samuel.

A successful producer and musical performer by trade, not to mention brother of UK pop/soul superstar Seal, Samuel has always had a cinematic element to his music and the short films which accompany much of it. Now after dipping his toe in the film business as a music supervisor, the London filmmaker takes advantage of deeper pockets filled by Netflix to build on his own 2013 feature debut and first crack at a black Western ‘They Die by Dawn’, taking the niche cinematic tradition of black cowboys to a new level with a dynamic tune-powered tale of revenge in the old American West—from a distinctly African American perspective.

Jonathan Majors stars as ruthless outlaw hunter of outlaws ‘Nat Love’, who reunites with his old flame and partner ‘Stagecoach Mary’ (Zazie Beetz), young quick draw ‘Jim Beckworth’ (RJ Cyler), sharpshooter ‘Bill Pickett’ (Edi Gathegi) and the rest of their old gang, teaming up with veteran marshal ‘Bass Reeves’ (Delroy Lindo) to get some long overdue revenge taking down notorious bandit ‘Rufus Buck’ (Idris Elba), his ruthless right-hand-woman ‘Trudy’ (Regina King), fast gun ‘Cherokee Bill’ (Lakeith Stanfield) and their own fearsome crew. But as all roads lead to Buck’s throne in his cowed dustbowl town, an almighty clash will reveal confronting secrets from the past and determine who rules this particular corner of the wild west.

With classic tropes and character archetypes being reworked and updated, it’s probably something of a stretch to suggest that ‘The Harder They Fall’ truly revolutionises the Western or brings something entirely new to the genre on which much of Hollywood and the American film industry was built. Particularly when you consider what has come before, including ‘Blaxploitation’ Westerns of the 70s like ‘Take a Hard Ride’ and ‘Joshua’, and what the revisionist effort ‘Django Unchained’ did for the cause in 2012—not to mention the influence of other more recent nu-Westerns, and even a certain blockbuster video game series.

But just like Quentin Tarantino did for a major chunk of his own filmmaking career, Jeymes Samuel throws many of his influences into a cauldron—including Tarantino’s own penchant for the ultra-violence and sharp realist dialogue—adding his own distinct flavour and energy, plus his musical background to produce something influenced by the past but rooted in the present, taking the niche cinematic tradition of black cowboys and outlaws to a new level.

This is also of course what minority representation and opportunity in Hollywood really looks like. A major movie company investing in a black filmmaker with a largely African American crew behind and cast in front of the camera. And with Netflix serving as the production company rather than purely as distributors—a relatively rare distinction—this is one of the few films of the year which truly merits the “A Netflix Original” stamp.

Although this is a fictional tale, it’s inspired by real outlaws and forgotten black figures of American history, and the intent from Jeymes Samuel and his co-writer Boaz Yakin is clearly to provide a rare cinematic voice for African Americans who are seldomly truly seen or heard in Westerns. As such they populate entire towns almost exclusively with characters of colour in a film which is made by black people about black people, but not exclusively for black people, although most of the white people in the film are depicted as either farcical or oppressive tools of the “white devil”—which of course makes ‘The Harder They Fall’ a subversive effort not only in term of its genre, but within American society in general.

It would be an understatement to say that style is key in Samuel’s old west revenge thriller. He conspires with his crew to stimulate the audience’s senses not only with dynamic action shootout sequences and occasionally brutal violence, which is graphic novel-like but offset by plenty of humour, but also with vibrant production designs which bring a new level of flair to old western towns, not to mention a new level of style to western costume designs, dressing the actors to the nines with looks that wouldn’t be out of place in a fashion tribute show to the old west done by Burberrys. But there’s also some natural beauty and a photogenic quality thanks to some gorgeous landscape sequences in New Mexico where the film was shot, expertly captured along with everything else by cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. (The Master, Jojo Rabbit).

Meanwhile what you hear is almost as important as what you see here, which is unsurprising given the director’s extensive background as a writer, producer, and performer of music. As he builds on a boisterous sound design and weaves scenes together with a pulsating and energising soundtrack, combining hip-hop and reggae with gospel and reggaeton with Samuel remixing some of the tracks himself to great effect—making the film feel in part like a lavish and moody music video with an impressive cast.

Indeed it’s that cast which truly breathes life into the tale, with the two most established stars Idris Elba and Regina King unsurprisingly commanding the screen as the main outlaw antagonist couple, while the likes of Edi Gathegi, LaKeith Stanfield and young RJ Cyler provide some comic relief and steal many a scene, but no more than the resident screen legend Delroy Lindo. But it’s Jonathan Majors as the avenging angel of death and Zazie Beetz as his formidable companion who hold the film together as the romantic and emotional heart of the piece, with Majors continuing to impress since his unforgettable turn in 2019’s ‘The Last Black Man in San Francisco’.

Yet for all its merits ‘The Harder They Fall’ is not without flaws. Notwithstanding a balance which sees the abundant style overwhelm the substance, the simple story moves along nicely with an engrossing exposition fist act and a solid second act build-up, but the big third act is a tad underwhelming and predictable, even despite being intense and flashy, coming across like a standard action blockbuster conclusion with bells & whistles but not enough soul. Then there’s the ending’s context-altering reveal, which is no doubt meant to be a game-changer but doesn’t quite have the desired effect. Yet none of these narrative and executional stumbling blocks can really stop this freight train of a Western revenge thriller from hitting most of its high notes and taking the audience on a memorable ride—but most importantly ushering in a new era of screen outlaws and cowboys of colour for a new generation.

The Bottom Line…

Jeymes Samuel takes numerous influences of the old and combines them with the abundant energy of the new, mixing vibrant style with star power and his music background, drawing from both real history and a stylised imagination to breathe new life and a fresh perspective into the Western—proving that when it comes to the genre on which much of Hollywood was built, there’s still plenty of life left in the ole’ dog.

‘The Harder They Fall’ is available on Netflix from the 3rd of November.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Antoine Fuqua (Southpaw, Training Day) reboots the 1960 classic western remake of the Akira Kurosawa masterpiece; a late 19th century tale set in the old American West, following 7 disparate gunslingers and outlaws as they come together to protect a small Californian mining town from a ruthless industrialist and his men.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Haley Bennett among others.

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