When an outlaw discovers his enemy is being released from prison, he reunites his gang to seek revenge in this Western.
Chuck says:
Just because you’ve seen a lot of westerns doesn’t mean you know can make a western. Case in point – Jeymes Samuel’s The Harder They Fall, a vacuous oater that resembles a perfume ad more than a feature film. Sporting an extensive directorial resume – one music video and a 51-minute feature – the filmmaker certainly knows how to compose a great looking shot with well-clad, beautiful performers. It’s the storytelling aspect of filmmaking he hasn’t quite got a handle on.
Jonathan Majors is Nat Love, a man who saw his parents gunned down before him while a child by Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), who’s rotting away in prison. However, news comes that he’s being paroled and our hero decides now’s the time to exact some revenge. A rag-tag group accompanies him to the town that Buck, with the help of his minions, takes over and a great deal of gunplay ensues. It all looks great but this is an empty exercise in style over substance. Yes, everyone knows how to strike the right pose but it’s all done in the service of a bland, hackneyed script.
2 Stars
