‘The Harder They Fall’ is an exhilarating and stylish throwback Western with modern cool
Score: 9/10
The Black Cowboy has never been a novelty. Historians estimate more than 8,000 of them from 1850 to 1920 have had their stories untold, with one out of every four cowboys being Black. It makes their lack of prominence in pop culture particularly peculiar. That’s part of what makes the slick, hip-hop-infused Netflix film “The Harder They Fall” refreshing. In this movie, white people exist in the background while an all-Black cast of bandits, outlaws and gunslingers trod through the Old West.
“THTF” tracks the bloody battle between two rival Texas gangs, led by Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) and Rufus Buck (Idris Elba). An opening flashback sequence details how Love’s parents were murdered by Buck when he was a kid. The film flashes forward to Love on a path of vengeance after he finds out Buck has been broken out of prison by his partners in crime, Treacherous Trudy (Regina King) and Cherokee Bill (Lakeith Stanfield). Love gathers a crew, including the morally grey Sheriff Bass Reeves (Delroy Lindo), to take him down.
Director Jeymes Samuel is a British singer-songwriter, music producer and filmmaker from London—and the brother of Grammy Award-winning singer Seal. In his directorial feature film debut, Samuel returns to the western genre he first explored in his short film “They Die By Dawn,” seeking to reclaim the erased and forgotten Black history of the western genre while honoring the past. He opens “THTF” with a text crawl reminding the audience that the story is fictional, but “These. People. Existed.” That means you’ll want to watch this film with Google handy. It’s a real treat to look up the real histories of characters such as Jim Beckwourth and Bill Pickett, and see their real-life characters lifted off the history pages.
But with that feature has come some controversy. Many have pointed out that actress Zazie Beets looks nothing like the real Black western legend Mary Fields. Fields has a story worthy of a film all her own. Often referred to as “Stagecoach Mary” or “Black Mary,” she is widely regarded as the first Black woman mail carrier. She busted up mail thieves toting two guns and sported men’s clothing. She was, truly, a bad ass. The real Fields was a dark-skinned, plus-size Black woman.
Stagecoach Mary: https://t.co/XYHW9bAk0Q pic.twitter.com/sa6oIK6dEP
— K. Smith (@ManofSmith) September 27, 2021
Beets, on the other hand, is a light-skinned, slim actress. There is no doubt that Beets has acting chops, with a great turn in the hit FX series “Atlanta” and a show-stealing part in the movie “Deadpool 2.” However, in “THTF,” Beets does nothing in the role to leave the impression that she alone could pull this off. Actresses Amber Riley, Danielle Brooks or Bria Simone Henderson would have all been more fitting contenders. It’s an unfortunate mistake that could have easily been corrected.
Samuel being a British singer-songwriter, and the controversy swirling around Black British actors taking over the casting of African-Americans, can only add smoke to the fire — though, Beetz is of German-American descent. Casting misfires aside, some of the film’s biggest thespians make the film worthy of top award honors.
If it wasn’t already clear, Jonathan Majors is a brilliant actor who garnered attention after starring in the independent film “The Last Black Man In San Francisco” in 2019. The “Lovecraft Country” star’s skills are once again on full display. Majors’ ability to fully embody a character is spellbinding. And in “THTF,” he brings all the swagger and cool you would want from a Black cowboy, seemingly fusing the John Wayne prototype made famous in the 1930’s with the modern cool of Jay-Z.
Regina King is an excellent villain, and you can tell that her, Elba and Stanfield are having a lot of fun being bad. Newcomer Danielle Deadwyler, known for her role as LaQuita “Quita” Maxwell in Tyler Perry’s “The Haves and the Have Nots,” puts in a memorable turn as Stagecoach Mary’s loyal protector, Cuffee. And you’ll get a kick out of Chicago-based comedian Deon Cole’s Wiley Escoe. He plays a dastardly and corrupt town leader with a healthy injection of his signature humor.
There’s a clear Quentin Tarantino influence in this film. That comes as no surprise when you notice it’s co-produced by frequent Tarantino collaborator Lawrence Bender. From camera zooms, to the use of old fashioned sets and extremely violent action, his cinematic thumbprint can’t be ignored.
While tracking in at just over two hours, “The Harder They Fall” moves at lightning speed. It’s an exhilarating and stylish throwback that will leave you wanting more. And the set up for a sequel, the “yeehaw agenda” is alive and well.