Movielogr

The Harder They Come (1972)

Directed by Perry Henzell

Crime | Drama | Music

Most recently watched by AllAboutSteve

Overview

Ivanhoe Martin arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, looking for work and, after some initial struggles, lands a recording contract as a reggae singer. He records his first song, “The Harder They Come,” but after a bitter dispute with a manipulative producer named Hilton, soon finds himself resorting to petty crime in order to pay the bills. He deals marijuana, kills some abusive cops and earns local folk hero status. Meanwhile, his record is topping the charts.

Rated R | Length 103 minutes

Actors

Jimmy Cliff | Janet Bartley | Carl Bradshaw | Ras Daniel Hartman | Basil Keane | Bob Charlton | Winston Stona | Lucia White | Volair Johnson | Beverly Anderson | Clover Lewis | Elijah Chambers | Prince Buster | Ed 'Bim' Lewis | Bobby Loban | Joanne Dunn | Don Topping | Karl Leslie | Sandra Redwood | Ula Fraser | Carol Lawes | Aston 'Bam' Winter | Toots Hibbert | Adrian Robinson | Franco Nero

Viewing History (seen 1 time)

Date ViewedDeviceFormatSourceRating
07/06/2010TVDVDRented7 stars
 

Viewing Notes

Until I watched the Midnight Movies documentary I didn’t realize that Harder They Come (1972) was one of the original midnight films grouped in that set of mostly “cult” flicks from the early 70s that originated in NYC. Directed by Perry Henzell featuring Jimmy Cliff and set in the Jamaican ghetto its real emotion comes from the music for which the plot is staged. Worthy for that alone.

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