"The Harder They Fall" was a lot of fun especially with the way Director Jeymes Samuel intermixed its memorable soundtrack with what was happening on-screen. It's a ruthless revenge tale that isn't really new or ground-breaking but has a lot of character and creativity that we didn't expect at all.
When he was young, Nat Love's parents was murdered right in front of his by the ruthless outlaw Rufus Buck (Idris Elba). On top of that, Buck branded Love with a cross on his forehead. Years after this encounter, Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) has become a dangerous outlaw himself. He and his gang target other outlaws while Love, personally, is on a vendetta to hunt down Rufus Buck, who is now imprisoned in Yuma, and the other gang members who killed his parents. But as fate would have it, Buck has been pardoned and Nat Love is finally getting the chance he has been waiting his whole life - have a showdown with Rufus Buck.
"The Harder They Fall" was just cool. From its portrayal of its characters, its vibrant sets, its larger-than-life outlaws, and its soundtrack, "The Harder They Fall" had this machismo that just exuded from the screen to your living room. The best parts of this film for us was how its characters felt like superhuman caricatures of what they were capable off. Rufus Buck was as cold-blooded as you imagined him to be or Cherokee Bill, as the fastest shooter in the West, was really fast when drawing the gun. A major part why these characters were so memorable wasn't only that they were written well but moreso that the actors behind these characters gave outstanding performances. Admittedly, this penchant to lean on superficial elements meant that some of the action sequences just came off quite comical and wasn't really to our taste. We love our Westerns to be more realistic given the context of its era. But more than anything else, the soundtrack for this film was simply outstanding with its dynamism, variety, and how it was integrated into the film. Color us interested and looking forward to what Jeymes Samule has in store for us in the future.
Rating: 3 and a half reels
Why you should watch it:
- it's a fun Western at its core
- the music was the heart of this film
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- doesn't really bring anything new narrative-wise
- some of the action sequences felt a little bit too comical for our tastes
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