The Harder They Come (1972)

A performance musical that’s also a realist anti-capitalist action movie. In other words, a perfect film.

Sean Gilman

I don't know if there is such a thing as "Jamaican neorealism," but that's what this feels like - with a ton of great music and some cool reflexive stuff about gangster worship thrown in. But it's the sights and sounds that really make it intoxicating. Alternate tagline:…

Joe

Perry Henzell’s acclaimed Jamaican film has an enthusiasm which runs through its entire production and features a soundtrack which easily ranks as one of the greatest of all time. It's almost impossible not to get swept along with Jimmy Cliff’s portrayal as Ivanhoe "Ivan"…

Paul Elliott

has a love for humanity unlike any film i've seen. the focus on faces here really tells everything

Sadie

Starts out as a neorealist ramble following a man named Ivan as he arrives in Kingston and tries his best to make ends meet while aspiring to become a famous singer, the film preoccupied with taking in the surroundings and the texture of life and seemingly not at all in a…

Nathan

rage against the machine (reggae version)

KYK

Films like The Harder They Come are perfect examples of the power of shooting real locations. The natural and built environments of any place carry within them a sense of history and culture that no CGI or studio shoots can ever hope to perfectly capture. The beaches,…

Ben

Short circuits its musical and crime film roots through some of the most frontal images used to present either. Political cinema as matter of manner as much as anger.

Filipe Furtado

I've been listening to "The Harder They Come" soundtrack for years now, so to finally watch the accompanying movie is a great companion piece to the phenomenal album. It's a raw and stylish film which put reggae on the map in most of the world while delivering a politically…

Sam