The Harder They Fall Review – This ain’t yo mama’s Western

As a debut for writer-director-producer Jeymes Samuel, The Harder They Fall seems like an unwieldy beast to tame. With a two and a half hour runtime, a massive ensemble cast, and having to walk the tightrope between paying homage to classic Westerns and trying an authentic modern spin, Samuel has his work cut out for him. To his credit, The Harder They Fall comes together… for the most part.

For a bare-bones outline of the plot, there are two rival gangs in The Harder They Fall. Our “good guys” are the Nat Love Gang, headed by vigilante outlaw Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) and consisting chiefly of his right-hand men, rifleman Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi) and sharpshooter Jim Beckwourth (R.J. Cyler), alongside his former lover Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beetz) and her bouncer Cuffee (Danielle Deadwyler). When Love discovers his sworn enemy, Rufus Buck (Idris Elba) is getting out of prison, he rounds up his gang to hunt down Buck and the rest of his crew, “Treacherous” Trudy Smith (Regina King), Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield) and multiple nameless, faceless henchmen in the Crimson Hood gang.

Cribbing the names of people of colour from the annals of history, The Harder They Fall kicks off by telling us THESE. PEOPLE. EXISTED. Most of them did, but they weren’t anything like what you’re about to see on screen. At least they cop to the fact that the events of the film are fictional, as the story itself lifts these people from different times, places and occupations, throwing them together in a blood-soaked, revenge-driven plot as Love chases down the man that he swore he’d never let live.

The importance of having an all-Black cast can’t be understated. It’s well-known that history is thoroughly white-washed, and Hollywood has a nasty habit of perpetuating that stereotype by outright changing races when it’s more profitable and marketable. Even if the exploits were fictional, the existence of black cowboys, outlaws and lawmen was very real, which makes The Harder They Fall that much more important. Yes, these people existed, and it’s about damn time we get to see that.

I do need to dock points, though, for a needlessly cringe joke and subsequent plot device that tried to get laughs at the expense of a trans character (portrayed by a cis-gendered actor). Dunk on the whiteys all you want, we no doubt deserve it, but don’t be inclusive and progressive before making trans people the butt of the joke.

Barring that misstep, the only other downside to The Harder They Fall is the length. It’s a high energy film buoyed by a kick-ass, fusion soundtrack of modern hip-hop and classic orchestral pieces, but the energy isn’t sustained for its entire length. There are parts where the pacing lags and you start to feel the length of your couch-time. They at least don’t happen very often, thanks to the incredible, engaging cast.

All of the acting is superb, as the A-List ensemble of Black actors act the hell out of whatever they’re given. Majors brings the most emotion as the lead antihero, Elba is as gruff and malevolent as ever, and the supporting cast brings the right amount of strength, charisma and comic relief where needed. You might wish that, despite the length, more time had been dedicated to character development instead of moody, slow-motion horse rides.

Besides the best Southern drawls the cast can provide, the sets and costumes transport you to a made-up Wild West that somehow feels more real than before. Bright, colourful and immaculate, the various homes, saloons and towns we find ourselves in look as though we’ve walked into the wild west version of The Bo-Kaap, complete with extras dressed to the nines in period-appropriate attire. The exception being Mayville, the white town, a tongue-in-cheek visual contrast of all white people, wardrobe, buildings, roads and even horses.

You also won’t be disappointed when it comes to the action. Swinging between fisticuffs and shootouts, there’s plenty of Tarantino-esque over the top gory violence here, as well as the old Western tradition of shooting from the hip and still somehow getting bullseyes. It’s a little bit ridiculous, but all the more entertaining for it. All of this combines into what really is a fresh take on the Wild West genre. The Harder They Fall may follow the same well-worn tracks while getting from A to Z, but it makes the journey stylish, refreshing, relevant and that much more interesting.

The Harder They Fall releases today, November 3 2021, only on Netflix.