The Harder They Fall | Average Guy Movie Review

Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) reassembles his old gang when the man that murdered his parents; Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), gets out of jail.

Jeymes Samuel makes his directorial debut with The Harder They Fall, a story of revenge in the American West. And as directorial debuts go, this is a pretty good one. Falling somewhere between the stark, gritty reality of life way back when and the cool depiction of it seen in many westerns, Samuel doesn't exactly do anything new with the genre, but he does do it with style. With a cast like this it would be difficult to do it any other way! Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Regina King, Zazie Beatz, Delroy Lindo, LaKeith Stanfield, Edi Gathegi, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, all of whom exude cool as they battle their way across the plains. Needless to say, all of the performances are spectacular. Even the nasty characters are in some way likeable, most of them anyway. Stanfield's 'Cherokee Bill' is a particular scene stealer as the man who's quick on the draw, but equally gifted with the English language. Sometimes it's more fun to watch him intimidate people with his words, rather than his skills with a firearm.

Shooting in real locations adds an authenticity to the story. There's a harshness to this existence, and it shows. But thanks to some incredible sweeping shots, there is ample opportunity to take in the beauty in these harsh surroundings. Deep down however, this is a western in the classic sense, albeit  one that corrects Hollywood's white-washed depiction of the west. In reality, one in four cowboys was black. The Harder They Fall depicts a group of real-life characters in a fictional tale of revenge. Which of course means some edge of your seat action as they ride and shoot their way out of - and sometimes into - trouble. All of which is set to a cracking soundtrack. Watch out for the shot of Elba's 'Rufus Buck' walking (or more accurately; swaggering) through the carnage of his gang killing a squad of soldiers as he exits a train carriage. While Majors brings real conflict to his performance as a man torn between wanting to avenge his parents deaths, and the desire to move on. 

The tension builds perfectly as we draw ever closer to an explosive final showdown that sees plenty of classic western gunplay - shooting without aiming and hitting exactly what was intended. But despite a predictable and unnecessary plot twist and a supposedly surprise ending you'll see coming a mile off, Samuel is still able to surprise you, and through all the chaos, even make you laugh.

Jeymes Samuel's directorial debut proves to be an exciting, action-packed return for the western. He may not do anything new with the genre, but his epic cast do look cool as they bring to life.

9/10

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