The Harder They Fall Review: Guns and Violence ft Idris Elba-Jonathan Majors

American Western film The Harder They Fall is now available on Netflix. The film is directed by Jeymes Samuel and has an amazing star cast – Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, and Deon Cole. Jeymes Samuel and Boaz Yakin have written the screenplay with music by Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Jadakiss, Conway The Machine, BlackRoad Gee, Ms Lauryn Hill CeeLo Green, Seal, Laura Mvula and Koffee.

The synopsis reads, “Gunning for revenge, outlaw Nat Love saddles up with his gang to take down enemy Rufus Buck, a ruthless crime boss who just got sprung from prison.”

Netflix’s The Harder They Fall Review Contains No Spoilers

“While the events of the film are fictitious, These. People. Existed.” reads the opening disclaimer. The Harder They Fall movie opens with a group of criminals brutally killing the parents of a young boy Nat Love (played by Chase Dillon), in front of his eyes. Years later, Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) becomes a skilled robber/criminal/cowboy with excellent shooting skills. When Nat hears that Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), the man who mercilessly murdered his parents, is out of prison, he tries to bring back his gang.

We meet Mary (played by Zazie Beetz) in the revenge drama, Nat Love’s lover and former gang member. There’s also Cuffee (Danielle Deadwyler), who works for Mary, but knows her ways with guns. These are two characters that I found quite interesting. Everyone in the town knows how to kill a man or two with guns as if it’s their daily activity.

The basic revenge plot of The Harder They Kill on Netflix isn’t groundbreaking, but the execution is. There are a lot of guns, violence, bloodshed, and steamy romance, music numbers in this vengeful drama. However, the narrative falls prey to something that often ruins a story – overstuffing of similar scenes.

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In Jeymes Samuel directorial, there is a lot of brutality and gun violence. Even if he tried to take a humorous approach by playing peppy music in the background, it didn’t get him any closer to being a Fargo. I’m not saying he was trying to make a Fargo, but that black comedy crime film has set a precedent for others! The leading men, Jonathan Majors and Idris Elba, were not as strong and compelling as the promos suggested. It’s not their fault as the actors played their part well. The build-up for their face-off is exciting but cold when it truly happens.

With its intriguing ensemble and action scenes, Netflix’s The Harder They Fall generates a lot of noise.  The bullets might hit the right place during the fight scenes. However, the makers missed the mark sometimes when it came to crafting a solid film. The soundtrack and fight choreography were the only aspects that I enjoyed. They can’t, however, be the only factor in concluding that Jeymes’ film is incredible.

The Harder They Fall Review: Final Thoughts

Overall, Jonathan Majors and Idris Elba deserve better. Among many, Regina King has only one powerful scene with Zazie Beetz. The ladies become forgetful later. The writer-director had it all: fantastic performers, catchy music, horses, cowboys and exciting action scenes. However, the main plot is feeble, leaving us with two hours of gunshots, bloodshed, and brawls.

The film is now streaming on Netflix.

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