‘The Harder They Fall’: Jeymes Samuel Flips The Outlaw Tale Into A Stylish, Dancehall Western Of Revenge & Sins [BFI London Review]
Flecked with the bold sensibilities of hip-hop, struggle, and swagger, in a way, it’s a bit remarkable that no one, until now, has really tried to wed the parallel ideas of street hustle and grind to the hardscrabble, life-is-cheap ways of the Wild Wild West and yet without making a big thing about it. Because in the stylish, rhythmic, epic big-budget Western “The Harder They Fall,” directed by Jeymes Samuel and produced by Jay-Z (whose refined and unflappably trendsetting music sensibilities seem to saturate the film), everybody is trying to get theirs.