The Harder They Fall, the debut film from British director Jeymes Samuel, is a Western with a difference.
Featuring a predominantly Black cast – and a particularly star-studded one at that – the Netflix film aims to reinvent the genre, with Samuel recently explaining to The Guardian that he used to watch classic Westerns as a kid and think “Where are the Black people?”.
The new film looks to put that right by telling a fictional story based around real-life Black wild west figures – including Nat Love, Stagecoach Mary, and Rufus Buck, as Love reassembles his gang for a brutal revenge mission.
With Jay-Z on board as a producer, some promising early reviews, and an explosive trailer, the film looks set to be a real treat – read on for everything you need to know.
The Harder They Fall release date
Samuel’s film had its world premiere at the London Film Festival on 6th October 2021, and will open in select UK cinemas from Friday 22nd October 2021 for a limited theatrical run.
The film will then be available on Netflix less than two weeks later – arriving on the streaming platform on Wednesday 3rd November 2021.
The Harder They Fall cast
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It’s safe to say that the cast for The Harder They Fall is an especially exciting one – with a huge list of big-name actors playing prominent roles.
Lovecraft Country star Jonathan Majors leads the cast as Nat Love, while the supporting cast includes Luther’s Idris Elba as Rufus Buck, Joker and Atlanta star Zazie Beets as Stagecoach Mary, and Watchmen’s Regina King as Trudy Smith.
And that’s not all: there are also big parts for Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) and LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah), while RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), Danielle Deadwyler (The Haves and Have Nots), Edi Gathegi (Twilight), Deon Cole (Black-ish), and Damon Wayans Jr. (Happy Endings) also star.
The Harder They Fall plot
The film tells a classic Western story of a group of brilliantly named outlaws and their plans for revenge. Check out the official synopsis provided by Netflix below:
“When outlaw Nat Love discovers that his enemy Rufus Buck is being released from prison he rounds up his gang to track Rufus down and seek revenge.
“Those riding with him in this assured, righteously new school Western include his former love Stagecoach Mary, his right and left-hand men — hot-tempered Bill Pickett and fast drawing Jim Beckwourth —and a surprising adversary-turned-ally. Rufus Buck has his own fearsome crew, including ‘Treacherous’ Trudy Smith and Cherokee Bill and they are not a group that knows how to lose.”
The Harder They Fall trailer
You can check out the film’s electrifying trailer below – which includes first looks at several of the outlaws and some thrilling shout-outs.
The Harder They Fall is released in UK cinemas on Friday 22nd October and on Netflix on Wednesday 3rd November. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best TV series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.