The Harder They Fall

The Harder They Fall (2021) by Jeymes Samuel

Aside from the unbearable first two years of the pandemic, the 2020s have also welcomed a shift in direction within the American entertainment industry—a "forward-backward" move, one might say. Numerous analyses discuss this, speaking of conservatism and pandering to a conservative audience. While this is true to some extent, it's fascinating to see how Black creativity is navigating this landscape.

In music, we've seen Beyoncé release a country album, and Southern American rap now features prominent country sampling in artists like BigXthaPlug. Naturally, cinema has also joined this productive trend.

But how do you combine a period western with African Americans? How can it be historically accurate? This is where Jeymes Samuel comes in, opening the door to an entirely new cinematic narrative, basing his - essentially - debut on the overlooked historical fact that 1 in 4 cowboys was Black.

And he does this by assembling an all-star cast. Who should I mention first? Britain's national heartthrob Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Jonathan Majors, Regina King, LaKeith Stanfield—the list goes on.

The film is a study in coolness. It doesn't aim to transport you to another era but to highlight some traditional contradictions in American society and how to properly direct violence. The cinematography is breathtakingly beautiful, and the plot is the classic revenge story we all love, but with a touch of ancient Greek tragedy, directly challenging the frequent Asian cinematic and anime narratives. Revenge is not redemption but a dead-end.

The Harder They Fall is a delicious blend of spaghetti westerns and Tarantino. It often seems like the rule of style over substance applies, but that's just an illusion. Because substance permeates every frame, it is the visualized storytelling of personalities whose adventures no bard has ever sung—until now. Though the story is fictional, the characters are all real, historical figures.

Another element that adds layers of coolness to the film is the paradoxical soundtrack. Could you ever imagine Barrington Levy lending his voice to a western? Of course not. The soundtrack was also curated by Samuel himself, further proving his exceptional aesthetic sense.

In conclusion, the film has "black excellence" written all over it. It's Black creativity at its finest. And why is that important? If you compare the ratings and reviews on IMDb with those on Letterboxd or Rotten Tomatoes, you'll understand.

The film was controversial. And rightly so. Just as Cowboy Carter was. And if you think Beyoncé is too big to fail, read about how many purely country stations refused to play her singles before the album's release.

This is why The Harder They Fall is a great movie, and Jeymes Samuel is a creator we must keep an eye on. Not because westerns, country music, or cinema need to be inclusive, but because the very existence of the concept of inclusivity in 2024 is a sign of pathology. And we all need to push society out of its rusty confines into an environment where such words and the corresponding ideas they represent are part of a distant, old chapter of history