Musician Jeymes Samuel’s directorial debut is a western unlike any you’ve seen before, thanks to its irreverent tone, idiosyncratic and stylised approach, and A-list all Black ensemble cast.

Premise: Outlaw Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) has spent his adult life hunting down the gang that murdered his parents, until only Rufus Buck (Idris Elba) remains. But when Trudy Smith (Regina King) and Cherokee Bill (Lakeith Stanfield) spring Buck from jail, Love’s old gang, including Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beetz), Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi) and Jim Beckwourth (RJ Cyler), know that Love won’t be able to rest until Buck is dead, even with Marshall Bass Reeves (Delroy Lindo) on his tail.

Review:

There are times when what makes a film stand out is its execution, rather than its narrative structure, and The Harder They Fall is one of those movies. On paper, the plot is not unlike any other number of westerns – a cowboy protagonist is out for revenge against the gang that murdered his family – but right from the pre-credit introduction of Jonathan Majors as Nat Love, it’s clear that The Harder They Fall is not going to be a traditional western.

There will, inevitably, be comparisons drawn between this film and Tarantino’s Django Unchained, insofar as both have a Black leading man (which is still a rarity in westerns), and both have a stylised approach to the genre, and specifically, the violence. But whereas Django Unchained was overtly about the racism faced by one Black cowboy living in a predominantly White world, the entire principle cast of The Harder They Fall are Black, so this is more of a story set within their community, and although the wider systemic racism is still present, it’s not the main focus of the story.

“…the film’s greatest strength is undoubtedly its ensemble cast…”

Instead, the film shines a light on the “forgotten” characters of the Old West, the Black men and women who existed at the time, but who have largely been ignored in Hollywood westerns. The opening of the film makes it clear that while the story is a work of fiction, the characters are all based on real-life historical figures. In that sense, The Harder They Fall feels like it has more in common with the exuberance of revisionist westerns like Young Guns, than it does with the stoic drifter trope of the Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns and their ilk.

The film’s greatest strength is undoubtedly its ensemble cast, and what a cast it is. Jonathan Majors continues to impress in everything he does, and as Nat Love, he gets to play the whole gamete of emotions during the course of the film. It always feels like he’s playing a genuine, rounded character, rather than any of the architypes you would normally expect to find in a western. Idris Elba, who can also do no wrong, seems to enjoy sinking his teeth into such a villainous part, and yet also manages to bring unexpected depths to the character when required.

“…Jeymes Samuel’s direction is what really makes the film as individual as it is…”

Oscar-winner Regina King also appears to be enjoying playing against type, and like Idris Elba, manages to bring depth to a character that could have felt one-note in the hands of a lesser actor. Lakeith Stanfield plays a character that is not at all what he first appears, while screen legend Delroy Lindo brings his veteran’s gravitas to the movie. All of the main cast – including Edi Gathegi, RJ Cyler and Danielle Deadwyler – do a great job of making their characters distinct and memorable within minutes of appearing, and many of them get at least one standout character-based scene (which isn’t always easy with an ensemble cast of this size). If I had one niggle, it’s that I perhaps would have liked to have seen more of Zazie Beetz as Stagecoach Mary, as she was an interesting character who I thought deserved more screentime than she perhaps got.

As great as the cast is though, it’s arguably Jeymes Samuel’s direction that really makes the film as individual as it is. Coming from a musical background, anachronistic music plays a big part in setting the tone of his film, but there’s just as much visual flair as there is auditory originality, as shown from the off by the playful way in which the film’s title is displayed as a bullet-riddled body flies across the screen. There are plenty of other playful visual touches throughout the film, but I won’t spoil any of them here.

“…worth watching for that cast list alone…”

Overall, while westerns can still be a bit of an acquired taste, this is certainly a western that should be inventive and original enough to potentially appeal to those who think they don’t like cowboy movies, as well as being traditional enough to appeal to those that do. And if nothing else, it’s worth a watch for that cast list alone, and it marks Jeymes Samuel as a talent to watch in the future.