Plot: What’s it about?
Ivan (Jimmy Cliff) wants to be a musician, but he comes from a poor background and has little chance of seeing his dreams come true. But he decides to give it his best shot anyway and travels from his home to the big city of Kingston, the place where his dreams can come true or become crushed. Ivan knew that life in Kingston would not be at all easy, but it seems to be much tougher than he expected. In an effort to make some cash and survive, Ivan takes a job dealing marijuana and finds himself on the wrong side of the law. As he sells on the side, he also tries to get his music career off the ground and even gains the attention of some music producers. But unless he agrees to a contract that promises all the profits to the producers, Ivan’s music will not be played and promoted to become a hit. Soon he finds himself being exploited by the music producers and his drug connections, as well as being wanted by the police for various criminal acts. When he kills a police officer, he is forced to go underground to survive, but he becomes a hero to the public in the process. In the end though, what will become of Ivan and his aspirations?
If you’re a fan of crime/mobster movies and you haven’t seen The Harder They Come, then I suggest you give this movie priority next time you’re browsing for a new film to watch. I know a Jamaican crime movie sounds a little of kilter, but in the end this film is powerful and also boasts a stupendous reggae fueled soundtrack. The Harder They Come is a low budget film and as such, has some technical limitations inherent, but it comes through where it needs to in realism and entertainment. The technical limitations seem to further the realism and with a movie like this, that is a certain blessing in the end. Of course, this film was shot on location and that also adds to the rugged feel of the movie. The typical mobster movie elements are all presented in The Harder They Come, but since it takes place in a setting much different from most movies in the genre, it seems fresh and has a unique edge. I recommend this movie as a rental to those interested, but fans of the movie will want to pick up this as soon as possible.
The Harder They Come might have been his only trek into the world of movies, but Perry Henzell sure left his mark with his sole motion picture. As I mentioned above, this movie has a very realistic edge, which is one of the main reasons it works so well in the end. I think Henzell knew his limitation in terms of budget and such, so he chose to make this film gritty and turn his limitations into advantages. It seems to have worked very well, as some elements that might have been trouble spots end up as positive aspects of the film. The technical side of the direction seems in order, with a terrific visual approach and no real problems I could detect. In addition to directing this movie, Henzell also co-wrote the picture along with Trevor Rhone. The lead in this film is played by musician Jimmy Cliff and if you have doubts about his skills, this movie will turn them all upside down. Cliff shines in his performance here and turns in a powerful & effective overall portrayal. The cast also includes Carl Bradshaw (Third World Cop, Dancehall Queen), Janet Barkley, Basil Keane (Countryman), and Ras Daniel Hartman.
Video: How does it look?
The Harder They Come is presented in a 1.66:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. If you’ve never seen this movie before, you might find this transfer to be lacking, but fans of the film will be very pleased with the improvements found here. The source print looks very clean, which is impressive and I found only minimal instances of compression flaws as well. The contrast is a little on the dark side, but I never noticed a drop in detail and the image is never too murky. The colors are based on a rather natural scale, so you won’t see too many super bright shades, but the hues never smear or seem too faded. This is a nice transfer and a great improvement over previous editions, which is more than enough for me.
Audio: How does it sound?
This movie has a terrific soundtrack, but the included mono tracks just doesn’t do it much justice. I would have liked a surround sound remix, but as far as mono goes, this is an above average effort in the end. The music sounds clean at all times, but again lacks the range and dynamic sound a surround track would allow. Still, it sounds good and no distortion is present at all. No real sound effect power to find here, most of it is background noise and such, so this track has no problems there. Also in fine form is the dialogue, which comes off as crisp and consistent in this mix. This disc also contains English subtitles, which you might need since some of the accents are pretty thick.
Supplements: What are the extras?
As always, you can fine tune your television’s setting with the color bars, but you’ll also find some additional supplements on this disc. A ten minute interview with Island Records (who carried this film’s soundtrack) founder Chris Blackwell is included, in which he discusses his role in bringing reggae music to the masses and also speaks about Perry Henzell and this film. A nice addition to be sure, as it adds some scope to the film and the music within it. A biography for Blackwell can also be found here, as well as talent files for several musicians that appear on the film’s soundtrack. The final supplement is an audio commentary track, which features writer/director Perry Henzell and actor/musician Jimmy Cliff. This is an excellent track when one of them is speaking, but some silent spaces can be heard often in this one. Still, I found it to be quite informative and fans of this movie will not want to miss this track.
