The Harder They Fall (2021)

[DollEyes]

lHere's the thread for The Harder They Fall, Netflix's western starring (among others) Idris Elba, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Lakeith Stansfield and Zazie Beetz and is co-Executive Produced by Shawn Carter, aka Jay-Z. Here's the trailer:

 

The Harder They Fall

Edited June 26, 2021 by DollEyes

[Ms Blue Jay]

It's really funny to me how Idris has been in two Westerns in quick succession.  It's like for the past 6 years I've been campaigning for him to play Bond and he's like, "Nah, I'm going to be in "Cats" and cowboy costumes constantly instead."  Not complaining about the cowboy stuff.  At least he's working.

[AimingforYoko]

You know what I never thought when I watched Regina King on 227? "She would look really good in a long leather trench and a mask."

[AimingforYoko]

Full trailer:

This cast is ridiculous. 

[AimingforYoko]

Didn't search hard enough. 

Edited September 28, 2021 by AimingforYoko

[Danny Franks]

I'm not a fan of Idris Elba, and think he's staggeringly overrated as an actor, but I'm here for Lakeith Stansfield and Zazie Beetz.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I was drawn to this because it's one of those I noticed when scrolling the movie listings in my area and thought, "What is this?" Usually they're some sort of Christian inspirational movie, but I always check just to make sure, and that's definitely not the case with this one.  And I love westerns.

However, I think I've outgrown Tarantino-esque violence and this movie has a lot of it.  And lots of cruel people, which I'm finding far less interesting as I get older.  Nevertheless, I don't want my 2 hours and 10 minutes back, and I bet that 30 years ago I would have loved every minute. 

Edited October 25, 2021 by StatisticalOutlier
Didn't realize there was already a thread.

[Ms Blue Jay]

3 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

However, I think I've outgrown Tarantino-esque violence and this movie has a lot of it. 

Yup. I was so excited about this until I saw that uberviolent preview.  Not for me!

[lasu]

I LOVED this movie, and I can be quite squeamish about violence.  I did avert my eyes a couple of times, but something about highly stylized violence bothers me less.  But damn this movie was FUN! Clever, witty, slick, I enjoyed the whole thing.  I enjoyed the anachronistic use of music, settings, costuming, language - it worked very well.  The characters weren't deep and the plot won't hold up to much picking, but it's a great classic Western, gang vs. gang revenge story.  It's coming out on Netflix soon and I'll certainly watch it again, and don't regret the $10 I shelled out to watch it in the theater.

[StatisticalOutlier]

12 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Yup. I was so excited about this until I saw that uberviolent preview.  Not for me!

This is where discussions like these can be really valuable.  R.I.P. IMDb message boards, where I could ask for specifics about the type of violence depicted. 

The spurting blood you see in the trailer isn't the only time it happens.  And I can't bear watching someone beat a person who's tied up, and that happens.  Lots of killing by shooting, which doesn't bother me as long as it's quick and even slightly deserved, and not too bloody.  Most (but not all) of the killing in this movie is deserved, but an awful lot of it is bloody. 

11 minutes ago, lasu said:

I LOVED this movie, and I can be quite squeamish about violence.  I did avert my eyes a couple of times, but something about highly stylized violence bothers me less. 

I love highly stylized violence.  I still remember seeing John Woo's The Killer--just walking into the theater on the advice of a friend.  I came out thinking, "I just saw hundreds of people get mowed down in a tea room, and it was exhilarating!" 

11 minutes ago, lasu said:

It's coming out on Netflix soon and I'll certainly watch it again, and don't regret the $10 I shelled out to watch it in the theater.

While I grew up watching westerns on TV on Saturday afternoons, I think scenic westerns, in particular, benefit from being seen in a theater.  This one is no exception.  Big vistas and thundering horses deserve that, as well as any time people form up in a horizontal line on their horses.  It is a very good-looking movie.

And sadly (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), I don't think there will be big Covid concerns for people hesitant to go to a theater--I saw it on Saturday at 1:30 and it was just me and two other singletons.

Oh yeah, and one of the actors was driving me crazy because I knew I'd seen him before but couldn't place him.  It's RJ Cyler, who was in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.  I still laugh when I think of how he delivered the line "punk ass cat" in that movie.  He's delightful in this, too.

[EtheltoTillie]

I saw this trailer after the Alec Baldwin shooting, and suddenly I was hyper focused on every pointed gun. Maybe not ready for this. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

5 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

This is where discussions like these can be really valuable.  R.I.P. IMDb message boards, where I could ask for specifics about the type of violence depicted. 

I'm such a wimp that I often look up movies on "Common Sense Media" before I watch them.  It's a website intended for parents who want to know how violent a movie is before they show their kids, LOL.

[Joimiaroxeu]

When was the time frame of these events? I'm guessing it must've be sometime after the end of the Civil War because otherwise I don't see Black outlaws running around the SW like they didn't have a care in a world. Especially in Texas.

Ehh, Rufus Buck in that red velvet jacket in broad daylight was too much IMO. Seemed like an anachronism to me. That's a trendy 2021 look.

The dancer in Treacherous Trudy's saloon: Na'vi (Avatar) or an ancestor of the blue X-Men?

Nat truly loved Stagecoach Mary to take that kind of beating for her. I winced just watching it. He must've had a core of steel.

Lol, the White town was literally all white. In case anyone was uncertain.

The big shootout was reminiscent of the one in the 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven. Nicely choreographed.

Apparently Rufus Buck was a bit of dandy. I thought that pinstriped three-piece suit was a lot for a gunslinger likened to Satan.

Ditto comments upthread, I was not ready for the level of graphic violence. Even the sound effects were brutal.

Wait, was that Treacherous Trudy holding her hat at the end? Oy, Stagecoach Mary didn't complete the job. Here comes the sequel!

Hate to say it but I'm kind of glad neither the usual Hollywood fave Denzel Washington nor his son was in this because I think they both would've overshadowed the plot. That said, I don't think Idris added much either except his usual brooding presence and his name on the marquee.

Quote

It's like for the past 6 years I've been campaigning for him to play Bond and he's like, "Nah, I'm going to be in "Cats" and cowboy costumes constantly instead."

I don't think it was his choice not to play Bond. The people who own the rights to produce the Bond films were not going to have a Black James Bond, period. That's why they held onto Daniel Craig for as long as they did. (And pretty much had to give Craig all the money to keep him on board since he was known to be over playing the role two movies ago.) They needed an actor who was young enough to deliver three or four films. Idris is too old now so the producers can use that as shield against accusations of racism.

Edited November 7, 2021 by Joimiaroxeu

[Morrigan2575]

I liked the direction and, the sound track, the music was nicely chosen. It was visually appealing and, I appreciated the dialogue. Not a bad actor in the bunch and, even a few standouts beyond the expected.

That being said the movie was too long and dragged in parts. The characters and even plot were very generic and yes they did feel Tarantino-esque.

A lot of the story was predicable and also didn't have much weight since it was a forgone conclusion who would win and, I even knew which of the Ned Love Gang would die.

[Racj82]

Yeah, the movie was too long but it was mostly due to the long shootout which made it easier to take. Most movies are too long these days.

I don't care about Uber violence. Doesn't bother me at all. It was a bloody good time. Nor am I scared of gunfights now because of the incident. Freak accidents are just that. Freak accidents. Stuntmen and women die way more frequently than any on set gunplay. Two tragic incidents in 30 years shows how infrequently it happens.

This was a good time. No matter how many times someone says it was better or benefited from being a theater will I ever feel like I missed or something. It looked gorgeous and sounds great on my TV. I'm good.

This is one Netflix movie I can recommend.

[AimingforYoko]

Very happy that 'Treacherous Trudy' made it out of the movie, because Regina King owned every scene she was in like a boss.

The whole cast was awesome, and while it definitely could've used some editing, damn if I didn't enjoy the whole thing.

[DearEvette]

I enjoyed it.  Very Popcorn Saturday matinee feel for me.  I liked the funky camera shots.  There was one overhead shot where the shadows of the two men talking were elongated and became the focus of the scene.

Out of all the very charismatic people on the screen -- and they all 100% brought their A game -- I have to give a special shout out to Deon Cole who was fantastic and surprised me in a good way.  And Lakeith Stansfield.  I just love him anyway and find him endlessly versatile, but his Cherokee Bill was such a smooth villain. 

The music slapped.  It was great mix of spiritual, reggae, African beats and rap.  It should have but didn't feel anachronistic.

[peridot]

I enjoyed the movie.  In the beginning, I was afraid Buck was going to mutilate the kid's mouth, and was prepared to turn away.  Glad that didn't happen.

I laughed at the all-white town, but didn't like seeing the teller laugh at Cuffee.  I'm glad the scene wasn't too long.

It seems like Trudy was a psycho, even from a young age.  I was wondering what happened, since it showed all the other members of the gang died.  Too bad Mary didn't finish her off.  I did love the color of Trudy's outfit though.

[Hanahope]

So the primary characters were real, what about the basic story? By that I mean the relationship of Buck and Love, all black western towns?

Edited January 1, 2023 by Hanahope