The Harder They Come

• Director: Perry Henzell
• AMG Rating:
• Genre: Crime
• Movie Type: Crime Drama, Musical Drama
• Themes: Fish Out of Water, Inner City Blues, Down on Their Luck
• Main Cast: Jimmy Cliff
• Release Year: 1972
• Country: JM
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• MPAA Rating: R

Plot

Reggae star Jimmy Cliff is the principal reason that The Harder They Come was one of the first truly successful films to come out of Jamaica. Cliff plays Ivan, a young would-be singer who finds the going rough when he hits the big city of Kingston. Jailed for participating in a knife fight, Ivan is exploited by a dishonest record-company executive upon his release. Turning his back on the establishment, Ivan becomes involved in the marijuana trade. He keeps the police at arm's length by offering them a slice of the action, but ultimately finds himself in the middle of a bloody raid. Ivan kills several cops and escapes, whereupon the duplicitous record exec releases Ivan's single "The Harder They Come," elevating the fugitive to the status of folk hero. The Harder They Come utilizes a take-no-prisoners approach to its material and presents an unadorned view of the seamier side of Jamaica life. The film resulted in an incredible upsurge in the popularity of reggae music in America; among the highlights in its hit-after-hit score are "You Can Really Get It If You Want It," "Sitting in Limbo," "Johnny Too Bad," and the title song. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Review

The ganja-fueled peace-and-love vibes of Bob Marley's best-known work have come to define reggae music in the minds of most Americans, but much of Jamaica's most potent music reflects a darker and tougher spirit that speaks of life in the Kingston slums where reggae first took root. Perry Henzell's The Harder They Come was the first independent feature film produced in Jamaica, and gave many Americans their first taste of reggae music; it's also a hard-edged story of poverty, crime, and outlaw culture that plays like a West Indian corollary to the classic gangster films of the '30s and '40s. Even though Jimmy Cliff had never acted before, he's superb and thoroughly convincing as Ivan, the country bumpkin turned public enemy who represents the flip side of every heartwarming story about the naïve kid who makes it big in the music business; and while Perry Henzell's directorial technique is rough around the edges, it captures both the grit and the deadly stakes of Kingston street life with the casual power of a hidden-camera documentary. Ivan's story never fails to ring true (the scene where Ivan is offered a mere 20 dollars by a sleazy record producer for cutting his first single was based on Cliff's own early experiences; Bob Marley got the same deal for his first session), and if anything, this tale of a musician who rises to the top of the charts on the strength of his criminal record is even more relevant in the wake of the well-publicized legal troubles of Snoop Doggy Dogg, Puff Daddy, and other hip-hop stars. (It's a shame no one thought to star Tupac Shakur in a remake.) And the throbbing pulse of the film's music is powerfully hypnotic; after watching the chase scene edited to Toots & the Maytals' classic "Pressure Drop," you'll have a hard time imaging the song wasn't written for this film. Viewers should be aware, though, that some recent home-video releases of The Harder They Come are missing the periodic subtitles that were added for the film's initial U.S. release; while in English, the thick accents and heavy patois of some of the characters render them all but incomprehensible to American viewers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cast

Janet Barkley - Elsa; Carl Bradshaw - Jose; Bobby Charlton - Hilton; Ras Daniel Hartman - Pedro; Basil Keane - Preacher; Winston Stona - Det. Ray Jones; Jimmy Cliff - Ivan

Credit

Robert Russell - First Assistant Director, Perry Henzell - Director, Richard White - Editor, John Victor Smith - Editor, Seicland Anderson - Editor, Jimmy Cliff - Songwriter, Peter Jessop - Cinematographer, David McDonald - Cinematographer, Perry Henzell - Producer, Perry Henzell - Screenwriter, Trevor D. Rhone - Screenwriter, Toots & the Maytals - Musical Performer, Desmond Dekker - Musical Performer, Slickers - Musical Performer

Similar Movies

Countryman; Bob Marley: Heartland Reggae; Jailhouse Rock; Juice; Rockers; Rodrigo D: No Future; Superfly; Bobby G. Can't Swim; Shottas

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