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The Harder They Come

Play trailer Poster for The Harder They Come R 1972 1h 45m Drama Crime Music Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 43 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
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.
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The Harder They Come

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Critics Consensus

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

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Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher The Times (UK) 08/05/2022
4/5
An epic character arc, wall-to-wall reggae standards and a suitably strutting turn from star Jimmy Cliff are the hallmarks of this Jamaican crime classic. Go to Full Review Danny Leigh Financial Times 08/05/2022
5/5
[Henzell conjures] Kingston’s bristle and chaos with a diamond-hard vérité, spiced with wit and lyricism. Go to Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian 08/03/2022
5/5
The reggae soundtrack throbs and crunches and shudders in concert with the raw energy of Henzell’s storytelling and Cliff’s performance, but this doesn’t preclude a shrewdly self-aware debate about representation. Go to Full Review Daniel Allen Loud and Clear Reviews 07/25/2024
4/5
50 years since the release of The Harder They Come, Jamaica’s first feature film is still a brilliant take on its people’s struggles – with one of the best soundtracks of all time. Go to Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 04/08/2023
It’s a simple film shot on a shoestring, rough and sometimes ragged but vital and explosive and filled with a superb reggae soundtrack that brought Cliff’s music to the world. Go to Full Review Christopher Machell CineVue 08/05/2022
4/5
With a sensational soundtrack, a terrific central performance from reggae master Jimmy Cliff, and violence as unvarnished as Mean Streets, The Harder They Come has lost none of its excitement. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Harrison B @emailaddress Jan 4 Amazing soundtrack. Good dialogue and acting. Predictable story. See more Nicola B @Nikkyb Dec 10 A simple little crime drama with a whiff of Robin Hood, wrapped in a great soundtrack and told with charm. See more Leaburn O @RT35452347 Sep 8 I needed the subtitles as it’s thick accents but this is a great low budget crime thriller. It’s got elements of O Brother Where Art Thou and Scarface. A great nod to spaghetti westerns. The performance of Jimmy Cliff was excellent given he was ostensibly a musician. Can’t go unsaid that the soundtrack is fantastic, largely courtesy of Cliff. This is an entertaining romp through Jamaica’s underworld. Watched on Amazon Prime. See more r96 s @RT00952237 Aug 19 'The Harder They Come' is entertaining crime flick fare. Jimmy Cliff brings a solid lead performance and some excellent music, which is certainly this film's strongest element; the eponymous track and "Sweet And Dandy" being my personal picks. The other cast members play their respective parts well. I've not got much more to note. Good music, enjoyable plot and sturdy messaging. What else is needed? 8/10, for me. See more Sean M @RT06644759 01/29/2025 Raw. I'm joining this cult. See more Fritz L @FritzL 02/12/2023 THE BEST MUSIC FILM OF ALL TIME OTHER THAN HARD DAY'S NIGHT. This contains what was new then, that is now the canon of Reggae music. A simple fable story of a country boy comes to the big city, Kingston, Jamacia and learns its evil ways. All shot on location with many of the real people, Toot's and The Maytals, Leslie Kong of the famous Studio 1 recording facility, all play themselves in this flick. All in English but the patois is so thick sometimes that it has subtitles. This movie, in his debut , made Jimmy Cliff an international star. If you like Reggae music at all this is the $HIT!!! Absolute must see for a music fan. See more Read all reviews
The Harder They Come

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Cast & Crew

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Perry Henzell

Director

Jimmy Cliff

Ivan Martin

Janet Bartley

Elsa

Carl Bradshaw

Jose

Ras Daniel Hartman

Pedro

Basil Keane

Preacher

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The Harder They Come

The Harder They Come (1972) The Harder They Come (1972) The Harder They Come (1972) The Harder They Come (1972) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis 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.
Director
Perry Henzell
Producer
Perry Henzell
Screenwriter
Trevor D. Rhone, Perry Henzell
Production Co
Xenon Pictures, International Films
Rating
R
Genre
Drama, Crime, Music
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 5, 2015
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Mono