The Harder They Fall brings a new look to the old west – Montana Kaimin

Usually when Hollywood tells stories of the west, the characters are really, really white. But the new Netflix Original The Harder They Fall throws away the centuries of misconceptions about the west, in favor of an exaggerated but refreshing take on cowboys of color.

The movie, which features a full Black ensemble cast of gunslingers, train robbers and saloon keepers who ride horses in front of picturesque mountain ranges, operates both like a history lesson and a fictional story set during the 19th century. On one hand, it's a fantasy filled with garish violence, crazy train heists and gun fights. But as the intro These.People.Existed alludes, these characters are based on real Black figures who have been ignored by most of Western education and cinema.

Like a lot of classic Westerns, The Harder They Fall revolves around revenge. After surviving a childhood massacre, Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) seeks the culprit for his parents murders the imposing and grizzled Rufus Black (Idris Elba), who is serving a lifetime sentence in Yuma Prison. Naturally, after an intense staring contest with a speeding train, Rufus is quickly freed by a sociopathic gang led by Trudy Smith (Regina King) and the gentlemanly gunslinger Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield). With the illusion of building a Black Western utopia, Rufus takes over the town Redwood City and (shocking!) chaos ensues.

The premise of the story isnt original, but it effectively plays to the genre's greatests hits: large-scale gunfights, horse stunts, hand-to-hand brawls and makeshift weapons. Its a relief director Jeymes Samuel knows where to put the camera for all this action, rather than default to the bland action choreography. The camera is constantly shifting angles and casting reality aside to lean into the crazier aspects of the story.

Theres also a refreshing take on the typical Western culture shown in film. Rather than using the historically racist trope of a band of faceless Native Americans threatening a white community, The Harder They Fall focuses on the threat of white land-grabbing to Black communities.

This is part of what makes this movie great. Racism, genocide and imperialism exist in this universe and impact people of color, but not the extent where they cant run towns, roam the frontier, or join a rag-tag gang and hijack a train.

The point being, these characters arent colorless. Theyre not meant to be. Thats not to say theyre perfect. In the midst of all the Western pizazz, Samuel became a little too enamored with violence, to the point that some of the characters operate like figurines. But that is mostly counteracted by the powerhouse cast. While not as flamboyant as other characters, Elba brings a world-weary, self-disgusted performance to Rufus that keeps you piecing together his true personality till the end.

With a kick-ass cast and a story that is familiar but with a new perspective, The Harder They Fall is a testament to what new Western cinema should be. Sorry, Clint Eastwood, it's time to let the old white ways die.

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The Harder They Fall brings a new look to the old west - Montana Kaimin