X
- 1956
- Approved
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 49 m
- 1956
- Approved
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 49 m
Summary An ex-sportswriter is hired by a shady fight promoter to promote his latest find, an unknown but easily exploitable rising star from Argentina.
Directed By: Mark Robson
Written By: Philip Yordan, Budd Schulberg
- 1956
- Approved
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 49 m
- 1956
- Approved
- Columbia Pictures
- 1 h 49 m
The Harder They Fall
78
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Summary An ex-sportswriter is hired by a shady fight promoter to promote his latest find, an unknown but easily exploitable rising star from Argentina.
Directed By: Mark Robson
Written By: Philip Yordan, Budd Schulberg
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
78
91% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
9% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
78
91% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
9% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Even with the dazzling camera work and notable cameos, the film's true marquee attraction is Bogart delivering another classic performance in the face of tragic personal circumstances.
A raw, blood-soaked glare into the seedy underworld of sport, with terrific performances by two of Hollywood's heavyweights.
Budd Schulberg's vehement novel about the fight racket is given a strong pictorial going-over in The Harder They Fall. It's main-event stuff.
It's a brutal and disagreeable story, probably a little far-fetched, and without Mr. Schulberg's warmest character—the wistful widow who bestowed her favors on busted pugs. But with all the arcana of the fight game that Mr. Yordan and Mr. Robson have put into it—along with their bruising, brutish fight scenes—it makes for a lively, stinging film.
Nothing about it is pretty, with director Mark Robson (who'd already helmed the powerful CHAMPION) moving the story along at a frenetic pace and Burnett Guffey's stark black-and-white photography lending a grim feel to the movie. All of the performers are excellent, especially Bogart, in what would be his final screen appearance.
This isn't Bogart's best film, although it's a very fine one. It does, however, contain by far his best performance, making it a fitting send-off as his last outing under the bright studio lights.
Robson tries vainly to give the movie the look of a thriller with lots of shadows and bleak lighting, but Yordan consistently returns it to the field of melodrama by setting his drama in the home - as Bogart and his wife Sterling agonise over his job of exposing the fixed fights - rather than in the boxing ring.
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Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Cannes Film Festival
• 1 Nomination