# The Harder They Fall (2021 film)

The Harder They Fall is a 2021 American Western film directed by Jeymes Samuel (in his feature directorial debut), who co-wrote the screenplay with Boaz Yakin. The film stars Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, and Deon Cole. It is one of few Westerns whose principal cast members are all Black. Its characters are based on real cowboys, lawmen, and outlaws of the nineteenth-century American West.
The Harder They Fall premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on October 6, 2021. It received a limited release on October 22, 2021, prior to streaming on Netflix on November 3.

## Plot

Eleven-year-old Nat Love is eating dinner with his parents when Rufus Buck and his associate Cortez arrive. Nat's father begs Buck to spare his wife and son and asks Buck for forgiveness, but Buck shoots and kills both of Nat's parents and then carves a cross into his forehead.
Twenty years later, Love finds and kills Cortez. Meanwhile, his partners, sharpshooter Bill Pickett and quick draw Jim Beckwourth, ambush the Crimson Hood gang and steal their haul from a recent bank robbery. The lone survivor tells them the $25,000 they have stolen belongs to Buck. Love travels to meet his former lover Mary Fields, who runs a chain of saloons. Pickett brings news of the heist to Love.
Buck's gang, led by Trudy Smith and Cherokee Bill, forcefully free Buck from a train leaving from Yuma Territorial Prison. They reveal Buck has been pardoned, and they have been paid to kill the corrupt U.S. Army soldiers guarding the prison car. After slaughtering the soldiers, Buck and his gang arrive in their former stronghold of Redwood City, now run by Buck's associate, Sheriff Wiley Escoe. Learning that Escoe has used the position to profit at the expense of the town, Buck brutally pistol whips him and orders him to leave town. Buck gathers the townspeople and after killing a naysayer, demands that they raise $50,000 to save Redwood, threatening to kill and burn the property of any who resist.
U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves arrests Love after a standoff in a saloon. However, Reeves reveals to Love that Buck has been released, and he offers him a chance for revenge. Love's gang, accompanied by Fields and her friend and enforcer, Cuffee, arrive and insist on joining. They encounter Escoe, who tells them Buck has returned to Redwood. Fields volunteers to scout Redwood under the cover of offering to buy Smith's saloon. Love proposes marriage to Fields, but she turns him down.
When Fields arrives in Redwood, Smith takes her prisoner and beats her. Love's gang arrives, and Love joins Fields in captivity to save her life. Smith has Love beaten, and he in turn asks Buck to release Fields. Buck demands Love return the money he stole plus $10,000 as 'interest', requiring him to rob a bank in a white town. Love and Cuffee rob the bank without killing anyone and escape. However, the group recognizes that Buck is unlikely to release Fields willingly, so they devise a plan to rig a decoy wagon with dynamite.
They enter Redwood and the decoy wagon is destroyed, killing some of Buck's gang. Love prepares to hand over the money, but is interrupted by Cherokee Bill preparing to shoot him in the back. Beckwourth intervenes, challenging Bill to a quick draw showdown. Bill shoots and kills Beckwourth before he can finish counting down, causing a gunfight to erupt. Love, Reeves, Pickett, and Cuffee kill most of Buck's gang, and the money is destroyed in another explosion. Escoe infiltrates Buck's house but is killed by Buck, while Pickett and Love are wounded.
Fields is freed by Cuffee and pursues Smith, who she defeats in a hand-to-hand fight. Pickett is shot in the back by Bill, who is subsequently killed by Cuffee in a quick draw confrontation. Love finds Buck, who is unwilling to defend himself. Buck reveals that they are half-brothers, and that their father was once an abusive outlaw who killed his first wife (Buck's mother) when she tried to protect her son. After leaving Buck, their father eventually repented and married another woman and had Nat. He further indicates that driving Love to outlawry was his true act of revenge against their father. Love reluctantly kills Buck and closes his eyes out of respect.
Love and his companions bury Pickett and Beckwourth, alongside another grave marked "Nat Love" (implied to be the resting place of Rufus Buck), as Reeves states that the law will now consider Nat to be "dead." Cuffee joins Reeves as a deputy. Cuffee and Reeves ride off in one direction and Love and Fields in another. A woman holding a bowler hat looks at them from a distance.

## Cast

* Jonathan Majors as Nat Love
** Chase Dillon as young Nat Love
* Idris Elba as Rufus Buck
* Zazie Beetz as Stagecoach Mary
* Regina King as Trudy Smith
* Delroy Lindo as Bass Reeves
* Lakeith Stanfield as Cherokee Bill
* RJ Cyler as Jim Beckwourth
* Danielle Deadwyler as Cuffee. The character was inspired by Cathay Williams.
* Edi Gathegi as Bill Pickett
* Deon Cole as Wiley Escoe. The character refers to a same-named Deputy U.S. Marshal in the Indian Territory during the 1890s. He was of black and Muscogee descent.
* Damon Wayans Jr. as Monroe Grimes
* DeWanda Wise as Eleanor Love, Nat Love’s Mother
* Michael Beach as Nat Love’s Father
* Julio Cesar Cedillo as Cortez
* Mark "Rhino" Smith as Carson

## Production

The film's original working title was The Notorious Nine. The film was announced in July 2019, when Jonathan Majors was cast to star in it. Musician Jeymes Samuel co-wrote and directed the film. Idris Elba would join in November, and Jay-Z, who would produce the film, was announced to be writing original music for the film. By September 2020, Zazie Beetz, Lakeith Stanfield, Delroy Lindo and Regina King would be among new cast members added to the film.
Filming had been scheduled to begin in March 2020 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but was delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cynthia Erivo, Wesley Snipes and Sterling K. Brown, who were initially cast, had to exit due to the delays caused by the pandemic. Filming commenced in September 2020, but was paused on October 15 after a background actor tested positive for COVID-19.

## Release

The film had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 6, 2021. It also screened at the Montclair Film Festival on October 22, 2021. It received a limited release on October 22, 2021, prior to streaming on Netflix on November 3.

## Music

An original soundtrack and a film score composed by Jeymes Samuel, were released on October 29, 2021 and January 14, 2022, respectively.

## Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 181 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "It isn't as bold and fearless as its characters, but The Harder They Fall fills its well-worn template with style, energy, and a fantastic cast." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann praised Jeymes Samuel's direction, saying "He has taken the legacy of the American cowboy, a quarter of whom historically were Black, and flipped it into a grand entertainment, so that his point is made with broad appeal. Samuel has collected the fantastical stories of icons like Stagecoach Mary and Rufus Buck, who may never have crossed paths, and translated their spirit through an original, heightened language."

## Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| African-American Film Critics Association | January 19, 2022 | Best Picture | The Harder They Fall | Won | |
| African-American Film Critics Association | January 19, 2022 | Best Director | Jeymes Samuel | Won | |
| African-American Film Critics Association | January 19, 2022 | Best Ensemble | Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole | Won | |
| African-American Film Critics Association | January 19, 2022 | Best Music | "Guns Go Bang" (Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and Jeymes Samuel) | Won | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | January, 2022 | Best Ensemble Cast | Victoria Thomas | Nominated | |
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 11, 2022 | Best Ensemble | Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole | Nominated | |
| British Academy Film Awards | March 13, 2022 | Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer | Jeymes Samuel | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Film | The Harder They Fall | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Director | Jeymes Samuel | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Actor | Jonathan Majors | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Actress | Zazie Beetz | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Supporting Actor | LaKeith Stanfield | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Supporting Actor | Idris Elba | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Supporting Actress | Regina King | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male | Deon Cole | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male | Edi Gathegi | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female | Danielle Deadwyler | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Ensemble, Casting Director | Victoria Thomas | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Screenplay, Adapted or Original | Jeymes Samuel and Boaz Yakin | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Emerging Director | Jeymes Samuel | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Original Score | Jeymes Samuel | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Editing | Tom Eagles | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Cinematography | Mihai Malaimare Jr. | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Costume Design | Antoinette Messam | Won | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Production Design | Martin Whist | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Original Song | "Guns Go Bang" (Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and Jeymes Samuel) | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | February 27, 2022 | Outstanding Original Song | "The Harder They Fall" (Jay-Z, Koffee and Jeymes Samuel) | Nominated | |
| Celebration of Black Cinema and Television | December 4, 2021 | Ensemble Award | Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole | Won | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 13, 2022 | Best Acting Ensemble | Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | March 13, 2022 | Best Song | "Guns Go Bang" (Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and Jeymes Samuel) | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | March 17, 2022 | Best Action Movie | The Harder They Fall | Nominated | [32] [33] |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | March 17, 2022 | Best Actor in an Action Movie | Jonathan Majors | Nominated | [32] [33] |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | March 17, 2022 | Best Actress in an Action Movie | Regina King | Nominated | [32] [33] |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | March 17, 2022 | Best Villain in a Movie | Idris Elba | Nominated | [32] [33] |
| Denver Film Festival | November 4, 2021 | Best Original Score | Jeymes Samuel | Nominated | |
| Denver Film Festival | November 4, 2021 | Best Original Song | "Guns Go Bang" (Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and Jeymes Samuel) | Nominated | |
| Detroit Film Critics Society | December 6, 2021 | Best Ensemble | Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole | Nominated | |
| Detroit Film Critics Society | December 6, 2021 | Best Screenplay | Jeymes Samuel and Boaz Yakin | Nominated | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 14, 2022 | Best Original Score | Jeymes Samuel | Nominated | |
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 14, 2022 | Best Original Song | "Guns Go Bang" (Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and Jeymes Samuel) | Nominated | |
| Gotham Awards | November 29, 2021 | Ensemble Tribute Award | Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole | Won | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Awards | February 28, 2022 | Best Action Film | The Harder They Fall | Won | |
| Hollywood Critics Association Awards | February 28, 2022 | Best Cast Ensemble | Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole | Nominated | |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 17, 2021 | Best Original Song in a Feature Film | "Guns Go Bang" (Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and Jeymes Samuel) | Nominated | |
| Houston Film Critics Society | February 19, 2022 | Best Original Score | Jeymes Samuel | Nominated | |
| Houston Film Critics Society | February 19, 2022 | Best Original Song | "Guns Go Bang" (Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and Jeymes Samuel) | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | February 26, 2022 | Outstanding Motion Picture | The Harder They Fall | Won | |
| NAACP Image Awards | February 26, 2022 | Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | Jonathan Majors | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | February 26, 2022 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Delroy Lindo | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | February 26, 2022 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Idris Elba | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | February 26, 2022 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | LaKeith Stanfield | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | February 26, 2022 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Danielle Deadwyler | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | February 26, 2022 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Regina King | Won | |
| NAACP Image Awards | February 26, 2022 | Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture | Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole | Won | |
| NAACP Image Awards | February 26, 2022 | Outstanding Breakthrough Creative in a Motion Picture | Jeymes Samuel | Won | |
| NAACP Image Awards | February 26, 2022 | Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album | The Harder They Fall Soundtrack (Jay-Z and Jeymes Samuel) | Won | |
| National Board of Review Awards | December 2, 2021 | Best Cast | Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole | Won | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | January 10, 2022 | Best Performance by an Ensemble | Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole | Nominated | |
| San Diego Film Critics Society | January 10, 2022 | Best Costumes | Antoinette Messam | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | April 2, 2022 | Best Original Score | Jeymes Samuel | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | April 2, 2022 | Best Sound (Editing & Mixing) | Ron Bartlett, Clint Bennett, Doug Hemphill, Richard King, Anthony Ortiz | Nominated | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | January 17, 2022 | Best Villain | Idris Elba | Nominated | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | December 6, 2021 | Best Ensemble | Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole | Nominated | |
| Women Film Critics Circle | December 11, 2021 | Invisible Woman Award | Danielle Deadwyler | Won | |
| Women Film Critics Circle | December 11, 2021 | Best Equality of the Sexes | The Harder They Fall | Nominated | |