ST. LOUIS — If you ask me, there aren't enough quality westerns being made these days. I'm not talking about modern westerns or a genre-blending film with western vibes included. I want the old dusty town, hundreds of hats, bodies jumping off the ground after being shot, and a thousand bullet shells in the streets. The bad guy needs to taunt the townspeople and even beat up a few souls in the process. Does co-writer and director Jeymes Samuel's "The Harder They Fall", which hit Netflix today, hit the bullseye here? Not exactly, but keep reading for my 5 things to know before the official opinion at the end.
The soundtrack is dazzling
The one thing you won't do in this spirited action-adventure is fall asleep. If you do, that could be as a result of adulting fatigue or a hard day at the office, because the music and score of this film is thrillingly old school with just enough of a modern touch. Songs kick start the shootouts and get the moviegoer's blood flowing at the same time. Grade A on the tunes used here.
Jonathan Majors is a standout in the cast
It's getting real hard to miss Majors these days. He co-starred in Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods," HBO's "Lovecraft Country," and "Jungleland" last year. In 2021, he popped up in Disney's "Loki" and now headlines Samuel's film. Playing the real-life gunslinger Nat Love, Majors exudes cool and soul without effort here, eating up a conflicted hero role like the movie called for and giving it some extra gravitas in the end. If he's attached to a movie right now, I'd make time for it. Majors has the "it" factor, but keep an eye on Danielle Deadwyler's work as Cuffee as well. The two actors share some nice scenes before the guns start blazing.
Regina King and Idris Elba make the most out of thinly written roles
There isn't much extra sauce to these antagonist roles. King is the deadly henchwoman for Elba's escaped convict, presenting an eventual showdown with Majors and company in town. If there's a slow mover in Samuel and Boaz Yakin's script, it's that they don't give two outstanding actors much to do. Elba's story is kept quiet for a reason, but he doesn't move a scene that often here--as in completely make it his. It's a villain role he plays in his sleep, which is still watchable. King's struggles are similar. She has a nice entrance in the movie, but then gets relegated to the sidelines for the better part of the movie.
The majority of the roles are based on real people
The all-black cast play real people who are then placed into a fictional story in Samuel's film. There really was a Nat Wood. Edi Gathegi is Bill Pickett, who would be inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame; Zazie Beetz plays Mary Fields, who went on to become the first African American star-route mail carrier in the United States; LaKeith Stanfield's Cherokee Bill was a sharpshooter who terrorized Native American Territory for two years and took the lives of eight men. The movie is packed with reimaginations and what-if scenarios.
A little Delroy Lindo goes a long way
Speaking of real life characters coming to life here, Lindo gets to play the famous Bass Reeves, the first African American deputy US marshall west of the Mississippi River. While he doesn't get a huge piece of the pie here, it's a solid supporting turn injected with depth by a seasoned performer. Lindo comes into this film off the heels of arguably his best role, playing Majors' father in Lee's "Da 5 Bloods" last year. The lack of an Oscar nomination was nearly criminal, so seeing him thrive here as Reeves is a pleasure.
Here's the thing. I didn't love "The Harder They Fall." It's more style than substance, and doesn't have much depth to its overall story. The nuts and bolts of this film's DNA won't linger in your mind for too long. A late plot twist didn't do much for me, only helping the plot make some sense out of fear of an all-out shoot-em-up affair. But the music and the performances of Majors and Lindo, along with some inventive action directing, pushed this one into the "perfect idea for a Netflix movie at home with friends. This western won't rewrite the book, but it'll take the edge off and get your legs moving.
