The Harder They Fall is a curious take on the Western genre. While it’s refreshing to see a predominantly black cast in a Western, there actually have been a handful of black Westerns that, unfortunately, didn’t make as headway as other mainstream Western flicks. This is a slick, stylish movie that often invokes Tarantino and a host of classic Western directors, but it’s also streamlined, small and empty-looking, which makes sense since it is a Netflix film.
The outlaw Rufus Buck (Idris Elba) kills a pastor and his wife and disfigures his son by carving a cross on his forehead. Years later, the boy has grown into Nat Love (Jonathan Majors), an outlaw who hunts other outlaws. He sets off with lawman Bass Reeves (Delroy Lindo) to deal with Rufus Buck, who has escaped imprisonment and returned to the town of Redwood, which he set up years ago. He’s accompanied by his gang: Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beets) whom he loves, gunslinger JIm Beckwourth (RJ Cyler) and Cuffee (Danielle Deadwyler) a tomboy gunfighter. Buck has his own crew: second-in-command Trudy Smith (Regina King) and legendary gunslinger Cherokee Bill (Lakeith Stanfield).
At first glance, The Harder They Fall impresses with the way it styles the West and utilizes its soundtrack, which was also done by the director, Jeymes Samuel, who is also a British musician who produces under the name the Bullitts. The soundtrack features original songs by Jay-Z, Ms. Lauryn Hill, and Seal. Some of the earlier sequences, such as Trudy breaking out Buck from a train guarded by the US Army, start the film off on a promising note.
However, upon closer inspection, the aesthetic appears too stylish, almost to the point of being fake.
Redwood, for instance, looks too clean, and the costumes look as though they came fresh off the factory. Also, there are too many subplots, such as Nat’s quest for revenge (and also his quest for love), Buck’s efforts to build Redwood, Bass Reeves’ attempts to bring in Buck and Jim’s desire to duel with Cherokee Bill. They don’t converge as well as you would expect, but the final confrontation works well enough as an action-filled climax.
There’s the prerequisite girl-on-girl brawl between Mary and Trudy, but it’s handled viciously enough to stand out. Cherokee Bill’s approach to violence is another stand out. Nat finds himself robbed of his vengeance when Buck reveals an important part of their history that links them together.
The Harder They Fall doesn’t quite rise to the level of the films it’s influenced by, but it is an entertaining watch that features good performances from Majors, Lindo and Elba.
Majors’ turn is understated, while Elba conveys just the right amount of malice and regret. Lindo seems right at home in a Western, portraying a more old-fashioned gunslinger, which makes sense since his character hails from a different time. Regina King also does well with her character, easily holding her own and being a leader in her own right rather than just being Buck’s lackey.
The Harder They Fall is one of the better Netflix movies out this year.
It’s not the best Western of recent years, but it has enough spunk and energy to make you pay notice. Like most Netflix movies, it doesn’t stay in your mind for long after it’s over, but at least it doesn’t have an unrealized potential. It’s definitely worth a one-time watch.
