The Harder They Fall

 

What’s interesting about this film is… well, there’s a lot, but it’s a racially fascinating film that would make Quentin Tarantino gape. Yes it’s a classic revenge story and it begins with a brutal murder of Nat Love’s parents in front of him, the bad Rufus (Idris Elba)—who isn’t fully revealed until much later, when his own gang rescue him as he’s transported across the country in a cell on a train. 

The train hijack is stylish. So stylish. From the sight of a horse on the line to the brakes of the train and execution of the driver, the tension rises and falls. There’s also a saloon bar in a beautifully realised western town: the kind of place where well-to-do folk will stand around watching a fight. The violence is uncompromising but not explicit as it is in Django Unchained which has been mentioned in the same sentence—although that film never had “A White Town”.

This movie has a script that’s wears its wit as matter-of-factly as the stylishly dressed adversaries. And that’s the trick: the basic story is one of vengeance, but the humour is in the words and deeds, not to mention a very cool soundtrack and some fine performances from Elba, from Regina King, DeWanda Wise and most interestingly Danielle Deadwyler as Cuffee.

The initial violence suggests a dark story, and in a way that’s what you get. The townsfolk get to stand around watching some fairly brutal and bloody fist-fights, and the calmness of the train hijack does have a violent peak where a man’s inner legs are slashed like he’s about to be barbecued. A bank heist in that same “White Town”, where Cuffee has one of her impressive moments, is also super visually impressive. Even if Westerns and violent movies aren’t your thing, this has a style and a look that lingers…