The Harder They Fall Movie Review

The Harder They Fall (2021)

Watch The Harder They Fall on Netflix
Written by: Jeymes Samuel, Boaz Yakin
Directed by: Jeymes Samuel
Starring: Zazie Beetz, Idris Elba, Regina King, Jonathan Majors, LaKeith Stanfield, Delroy Lindo, RJ Cyler
Rated: R
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Plot
When an outlaw discovers his enemy is being released from prison, he reunites his gang to seek revenge in this Western.

Verdict
This is a stylized western that modernizes the genre by deviating from a traditional western. The dialog is modern, making it less rigid, and the soundtrack is a departure that works really well. The style overcomes the formulaic story. Majors and Stanfield are absolutely great as expected in a cast that is stacked, though the movie under-utilizes Elba.
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Review
This reminds me a bit of In a Valley of Violence, both are over the top neo-westerns.

This takes the typical western revenge tale and changes the dialog to be more modern, uses a hip hop infused soundtrack, and tops it off with great actors. Jonathan Majors and LaKeith Stanfield are incredibly charismatic.

Jonathan Majors plays Nat Love

A stylized introduction sets the in motion which is a standard tale of a kid that grows up and wants revenge on the gang that wronged him. This has fun with the standard setup, infusing it with current cinema style. Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) is the kid grown up that wants revenge. Majors really adds a lot to the character in a story that relies on style and flash. The story is disappointing in how simple it is. That simplicity is augmented with a lot of flash, but it could definitely be trimmed to maintain the impact. This could be a really good ninety minutes, but it drags a bit in the two hour runtime.

LaKeith Stanfield, Idris Elba, Regina King play Cherokee Bill, Rufus Buck, Trudy

The cast is impressive. Stanfield steals every scene he's in as Cherokee Bill, but that's no surprise. Stanfield is great in every movie. You can't help but like him despite his role as a villain. The movie understands that and toys with the viewers' expectations. Idris Elba was underused. For an actor that is every bit as charismatic as anyone in this movie, his character was written to be a villain that haunts the fringes of the movie. Because of that choice Stanfield's character is much more intriguing than the actual villain.

While the style can be in your face and comedy can be on the nose, like the white town of Maysville, this movie understands the genre, giving it a modern twist.