Poster for The Harder They Come

The Harder They Come

1972, Drama, 1h 45m

41 Reviews 5,000+ Ratings

What to know

critics consensus

The Harder They Come boasts hard-hitting drama and insightful social commentary, all matched beat for beat by a flawless soundtrack. Read critic reviews

You might also like

See More
Bent poster image
Bent
The Girl on a Motorcycle poster image
The Girl on a Motorcycle
Superfly poster image
Superfly
Girl poster image
Girl
Viva poster image
Viva

Where to watch

Rent/buy Free Rent/buy Rent/buy

Rate And Review

User image

Verified

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Step 2 of 2

    How did you buy your ticket?

    Let's get your review verified.

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

    You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • How did you buy your ticket?

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

The Harder They Come Photos

View All Photos (19)

Movie Info

Ivanhoe Martin (Jimmy Cliff) 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 (Bob Charlton), 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.

Cast & Crew

Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff
Ivan Martin
Janet Bartley
Janet Bartley
Elsa
Carl Bradshaw
Carl Bradshaw
Jose
Ras Daniel Hartman
Ras Daniel Hartman
Pedro
Basil Keane
Basil Keane
Preacher
Bob Charlton
Bob Charlton
Hilton
Winston Stona
Winston Stona
Det. Ray Jones
Lucia White
Lucia White
Mother
Perry Henzell
Perry Henzell
Director
Trevor D. Rhone
Trevor D. Rhone
Writer
Perry Henzell
Perry Henzell
Writer
Perry Henzell
Perry Henzell
Producer
Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff
Original Music
Desmond Dekker
Desmond Dekker
Original Music
Brent Dowe
Brent Dowe
Original Music
Peter Jessop
Peter Jessop
Cinematographer
David McDonald
David McDonald
Cinematographer
Franklyn St. Juste
Franklyn St. Juste
Cinematographer
Sally Henzell
Sally Henzell
Art Director
Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for The Harder They Come

Nine Movies That Bring the Funk
Nine Movies That Bring the Funk
Hit Movie Songs from the 1970s
Hit Movie Songs from the 1970s
The Weekly Ketchup: A Third "Starship Troopers," Jack Black Collaborates With Michel Gondry, Tension Between Fox And Marvel Over "X-Men," And More!
The Weekly Ketchup: A Third "Starship Troopers," Jack Black Collaborates With Michel Gondry, Tension Between Fox And Marvel Over "X-Men," And More!
View All

Critic Reviews for The Harder They Come

All Critics (41) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (4)
Full Review… Kevin Maher Times (UK) Full Review… Danny Leigh Financial Times Full Review… Peter Bradshaw Guardian Full Review… Pauline Kael New Yorker Full Review… Damian Levy DamianMichaelMovies.com Full Review… Jay Cocks TIME Magazine Full Review… Christopher Machell CineVue Full Review… Teresa Topolski Spare Rib Full Review… Dick Lochte Los Angeles Free Press Full Review… Sean Mulvihill FanboyNation.com Full Review… Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Full Review… Ian Thomas Malone ianthomasmalone.com
View All Critic Reviews (41)

Audience Reviews for The Harder They Come

There are no featured reviews for The Harder They Come because the movie has not released yet ().

See Movies in Theaters

Movie & TV guides

View All