‘The Harder They Fall’ is a rollicking Western
Like Lakeith Stanfield’s performance, “The Harder They Fall” is unusual, magnetic and a tremendous amount of fun.
A rollicking, ultra-violent movie with a brilliant cast, a perfect soundtrack and a sense of cinematic fun that mostly makes up for a slow stretch in the middle – maybe it’s a chance to catch our breath – the film is a blast.
Yes, actual gunfire and dynamite play a role in the proceedings.
It’s captivating from the start, when a title card says, “While the events of this story are fictional … These. People. Existed.”
They did; many of the characters are based, however loosely, on Black settlers who sought a new life in the West. It’s a group far too often ignored in the genre.
Jonathan Majors’ Nat Love is obsessed with revenge
The film (in theaters Friday, on Netflix Nov. 3) opens with Rufus Buck (Idris Elba) paying an unwelcome visit to a home. He kills the parents and carves a cross into the little boy’s forehead, letting him live.
Years later that boy has grown up to be Nat Love (Jonathan Majors), who had dedicated his life to revenge. That and robbing the robbers who rob banks.
Love has mowed down a lot of the members of Buck’s gang, but Buck still lives – in a Yuma jail for the rest of his life, as far as Love knows.
Afraid not.
When soldiers are transporting him, Trudy Smith (Regina King) and Cherokee Bill (Lakeith Stanfield) storm the train, bust Buck out and massacre almost all the troops on board.
So Buck is back in action. He and the gang head for Redwood, the town Buck plans to turn into a Black hub for businesses and families, even if he has to kill everyone who questions his ideas or methods along the way. It’s clear just through the intensity that Elba brings to Buck’s eyes that he is the unquestioned leader – and it’s not exactly a benevolent dictatorship.
Wiley Escoe (Deon Cole), the goldtoothed mayor of Redwood, learns that the hard way.
Love is trying to rekindle, maybe, a romance with Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beetz), who owns a brothel and delivers the mail. He learns that Buck is free, and teams up with Bass Reeves (Delroy Lindo), a sheriff, to track him down. Stagecoach Mary and Cuffee (Danielle Deadwyler), who works for her, follow along.
In that way, it’s a classic Western setup, although the whole good-guy vs. bad-guy trope is a lot more muddled here. Clearly, Buck is evil – characters refer to him as the Devil himself – but all the characters have something about them that keeps you interested. You don’t root for Buck, but Elba is so commanding on-screen (he’s actually not in it as much as you might think) that you hope he sticks around.
Elba, King and Majors are all good. Stanfield is great
It’s not that the characters are particularly well developed. That’s not the compelling thing here. It’s the performances. You would not mess with King’s Smith, because everything about her manner tells you she would slit your throat in a heartbeat. Stagecoach Mary, thanks to Beetz’s intense portrayal, maintains a mysterious aura. Word to the wise: Don’t mess with her, either.
Majors has the most intricate role, the one the film turns on. Love is torn. He seems to be a good guy at heart, but not above killing whoever gets in his way. Majors has an unusually expressive face – it’s hard to tell whether he’s going to laugh or cry at any given moment, but he certainly makes you want to find out which.
But it’s Stanfield who really stands out. Cherokee Bill is an interesting fellow – part philosopher, part cold-blooded killer. Stanfield, one of the best actors working, brings a different sort of energy to this role than we’re used to seeing. He’s got a casual vibe, an easygoing nature, but he is also intently focused. He’s just outstanding.
It’s clear that director Jeymes Samuel has seen his share of Quentin Tarantino movies, and some John Ford and Sergio Leone ones, as well. There are influences all over the place.
But “The Harder They Fall” is also its own film, familiar in some ways but wholly original. And a whole lot of fun.