A note at the beginning of “The Harder They Fall” states that although the story is fictional, “These. People. Did exist. This is not about historical accuracy, or even realism; it is a question. The film, directed by Jeymes Samuel (from a screenplay he wrote with Boaz Yakin), is a high-level pop western, with geysers of blood, wicked winks, and complicit humor. and an eclectic and happily anachronistic soundtrack with clips from Jay-Z., Fela Kuti and Nina Simone alongside Samuel’s original score.
The point is, the vibrant assortment of gunslingers, singers, saloonkeepers and train thieves – all black – who traverse picturesque mountain ranges and border towns have as authentic a claim to Western mythology as their counterparts. white. They exist, in other words, as true archetypes in a primitive story of revenge, greed, betrayal and courage.
Mostly revenge. The story begins with a family’s Sunday dinner interrupted by a massacre. A few years later, the young boy whose parents were shot dead in front of him became an outlaw named Nat Love, played with great charm by Jonathan Majors. Nat’s gang – whose most valuable players are a sniper (Edi Gathegi) and a quick draw specialist (RJ Cyler) – specialize in robbing other outlaw groups. But this is only business. The personal concerns that propel Nate and the intrigue are his love for Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beetz) and his vendetta against Rufus Buck (Idris Elba).
Mary is a singer and entrepreneur with impressive fighting skills. Rufus looks like a fantasy or sci-fi villain – an almost superhuman avatar of evil with grand ambitions and a grudge against the universe. And also the charisma of Elba, unmatched to play the bad guys with a touch of sadness. Rufus’ crew is a mirror image of Nate’s, although his empire is more extensive. His sniper, Cherokee Bill (Lakieth Stanfield), is a sociopathic philosopher, and his main lieutenant is a ruthless killer named Trudy Smith.
Speaking of charisma: Regina King! From his first appearance – on horseback, in a flaming blue coat with gold buttons to match his stirrups – Trudy points the magnetometer, but King is in good company. Just look at the names in the previous paragraphs. Add Delroy Lindo as an austere American marshall of complicated allegiances and Danielle Deadwyler as Mary’s pint-sized bouncer, who joins Nate’s gang and steals a dozen scenes as well as $ 35,000 from a bank owned to whites.
Samuel is making the most of his formidable cast. If anything, it may be too generous. The narrative falters at times so that everyone can participate in a few volleys of the salty, prickly dialogue on their way to the next round of gunshots or punches. There are imaginative and suspenseful sets – Trudy peeling an apple as she tells a story to the captive Mary; a bank robbery in a city so white that even the dust of Main Street seems whitewashed – and many more conventional bouts of gunshots and punches.
“The Harder They Fall,” nodding to the traditions of blaxploitation and spaghetti westerns in the Netflix era, opts for sprawl and impact – the stunning cinematography is by Mihai Malaimare Jr. – rather than restraint and consistency. It’s not such a bad thing, although the story sometimes feels as messy as it is messy. A last minute revelation that aims to raise the dramatic and emotional stakes has the opposite effect, and the violence sits between stylization and sadism. Bodies stack up at the end, but there are still enough people to tease a sequel. No complaints here. It’s part of how the West was won.
The more they fall
Classified R. Kill and curse. Duration: 2 hours 10 minutes. Watch on Netflix.
