The Harder They Come

Name: The Harder They Come
Genre: Drama, Crime, Music
Released: February 8, 1973
Duration: 105 min
Rating: 77

1973

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Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews

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Syndctd Entertainment | Release Date: February 8, 1973 | R

Summary: Reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff is Ivan, a rural Jamaican musician who journeys to the city of Kingston in search of fame and fortune. Pushed to desperate circumstances by shady record producers and corrupt cops, he finally achieves notoriety—as a murderous outlaw. Boasting some of the greatest music ever produced in Jamaica, The Harder TheyReggae superstar Jimmy Cliff is Ivan, a rural Jamaican musician who journeys to the city of Kingston in search of fame and fortune. Pushed to desperate circumstances by shady record producers and corrupt cops, he finally achieves notoriety—as a murderous outlaw. Boasting some of the greatest music ever produced in Jamaica, The Harder They Come brought the catchy and subversive rhythms of the Rastas to the U.S. in the early 1970s. [The Criterion Collection]… Expand

Genre(s): Drama, Crime, Music

Rating: R

Runtime: 105 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Steve Simels

Oct 3, 2019

For those who saw it back in 1972, The Harder They Come was a revelation, evocative of a poor but vibrant Jamaican culture few Americans knew about, with a bombshell reggae soundtrack that for all intents introduced the musical genre here. Read full review

100

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

The reggae soundtrack throbs and crunches and shudders in concert with the raw energy of Henzell’s storytelling and Cliff’s performance, but this doesn’t preclude a shrewdly self-aware debate about representation. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Oct 3, 2019

Perry Henzell emerges a director with a solid visual flair who can mix action and inchoate rage sans excess to give the film a taut pacing and use the local color and a basically predictable tale with a few new twists. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Oct 3, 2019

The movie's critiques of the music industry, the ganja trade, and organized religion still ring true. Read full review

Pauline Kael

Oct 3, 2019

The film, directed by Perry Henzell, is feverish and haphazard, but the music redeems much of it, and the rhythmic swing of the Jamaican speech is hypnotic.

Melissa Anderson

Jun 5, 2012

The definitive postcolonial cult-movie musical. Read full review

Stephen Garrett

Jun 5, 2012

But make no mistake: As a movie, it's Mystery Science Theater 3000 bad: atrocious acting, amateurish camerawork and a hackneyed story line all make for one painful slog. Read full review

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