Raw. I'm joining this cult.

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.

The more they fall the harder they come Starring an all Jamaican cast directed by Perry Henzell It stars Jimmy Cliff as Ivanhoe Martin After his grandmother passes away he arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, looking for work and, after some initial struggles, lands a recording contract as a reggae singer He manages to record his first song, 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 Jimmy deals marijuana, kills some abusive cops and earns local folk hero status Meanwhile, his record is topping the charts This is the first post colonial movie of its generation to bring reggae music to the masses Cliff laid the foundations for similar artists of Caribbean descent to boom While it’s hard to undervalue the impact of his music on its own, his popularity in the early 70s can be widely attributed to his efforts in cinema It not only made him a star for non-white audiences but also its landmark status pertaining to its representational elements, internationalizing the appeal of Jamaican cinema Think of this like Jamaican spaghetti western meets the exploitation of recording artists and link between crime and music in its themes The movie has a big feeling of authenticity allowing to act as a window into another culture, with one of the most euphoric soundtracks to boot Ivan himself is a vocal dreamer, rebelling against the power of prayer throughout the film that insists that heavenly rewards await all believers in the afterlife After all making only $20 for his music he's pretty much swindled out of any royalties he's pushed to the edge of becoming a criminal He was an aspiring reggae singer who becomes an outlaw and anti-hero Ivan sees the injustices done to the world and though Ivan does bad things, you have sympathy for the motivation behind it You’re rooting for him to get his due… To a certain degree he achieves his ambitions — everyone knows about him — but he went about it in a way that was not right There were consequences So it’s also a cautionary tale overall Also its storyline championed themes upheld by America’s rampant counterculture movement (sticking it to the man) as well as the hip-hop movement emerging in the same era, affirming music as a method to free one’s self from a life of poverty This touches on many themes that resonate today even like economic disparity, police and music-biz corruption, and the fame that accompanies notoriety We are told we can make it in the big city, the rich still treat the poor as poor individuals, there are still so many limitations despite all the advances we've made, the less advantaged people are told to behave and do things by the book, and when they don’t, the hammer comes down hard, the rich man can be bad and do whatever he pleases, and doesn’t seem like he has to pay for it As of 2020 this movie was included in the Library of Congress’ National Registry, and its Cliff-dominated soundtrack, an essential reggae collection in and of itself, was ranked 174 on RS’ Top 500 Albums of All Time A movie that has a story of tenacity and resilience, of a young man coming to the big city and wanting to be a recording star or make a record And he got to make one He does win in the end because the hero never dies

This movie wasn't exactly what I had in mind. The pacing isn't that good and sometimes things aren't really explained; but other than that it's not that bad of a film. I guess it could do well for some one but not as much for me.

The music is sensational and how cool to see a Jamaican movie with Jamaicans.

An entertaining crime drama set in the heart of Kingston, it's very goofy at times and has some head-scratching editing, but the music is fantastic, and it's ultimately a very profound character study of a man corrupted by his pursuit of fame as well as an establishment equally as corrupted.

When the 1948 Visconti film La Terra Trema was released in its country of production, it had to be subtitled in Italian for domestic audiences because the Sicilian dialect was too distinct to be understood by most of the country's citizens; lesser-known is the similar treatment required to the international distribution of Jamaica's first feature film, The Harder They Come. Though it made most of its rounds on the midnight-movie circuit upon release, this film delivered the same problem to an American audience as its Sicilian predecessor had to a larger Italian following. The Jamaican accents are heavy and require help to follow, but it was that authenticity that made The Harder They Come a massive hit in its own country as one of the first depictions of everyday people with any degree of sincerity, the introduction of Jamaican cinema (and to an extent, general culture) to the world, and the most significant blaxploitation film to originate outside of the United States. While not a blaxploitation film in the conventional sense, it is similar in many ways (the technical simplicity and protagonist in particular) but substitutes the more typical focus on race with class conflict and corruption. While the poor boy-turned-renegade narrative is straightforward and predictable and the production quality ensured that it would likely not rise beyond cult status, the film shines on its willingness to embrace Jamaican culture and in particular its prevalent use of music, to the extent that the film is a borderline musical; songs are often played for long durations rather than simply sampled. The film isn't just intended to cater to a domestic audience by refusing to compromise on the authenticity of its actors or sets, but has a solid theme coursing through the runtime, highlighting the interlinked and near-unstoppable nature of corruption and the power of imagery in the rise of Cliff's Ivan from stepping stone to folk hero. While the language barrier is definitely real, this classic has strength beyond its historic influence alone. (3.5/5)

The greatest v.a. soundtrack of any blaxploitation film by far, The Harder They Come is not an American film. Filmed in Jamaica with singer Jimmy Cliff in the lead role, this rollercoaster mania ride of island crime, grime, and some 'party all the time' makes for cool late night movie viewing. With the likes of The Maytals, the Melodians, Scotty, and The Slickers playing in gorgeous rhythm through it, THTC is kept from being just a relentless series of downbeat trouble and mishaps for Cliff's Ivan Martin. As David F. Walker put it: "Inspired by the real life Jamaican criminal/folk hero, Ivanhoe Martin, better known as Rhyging, Jimmy Cliff's Ivan is the quintessential blaxploitation hero, cut from the same cloth as characters like Melvin Van Peebles' Sweetback, who exist at the very bottom of society's ladder. Ivan embodies the ultimate rebel, a poor man who seeks to better his life, only to be betrayed by the church, exploited by the wealthy, and persecuted by corrupt law enforcement. His rise to fame is not through his creative genius or his hard work, but through the criminal activity that comes as a result of his being pushed too far. He is a character that the disaffected and disenfranchised audiences of the time could rally around, and that was part of what led to the film's success." 3.6 stars

For anyone even remotely interested in contemporary music, this is one you have to see. Gritty and authentic. It really speaks to you.

I've seen better acting. None of the cast were actors at the time that the film was made and the soundtrack ranks as one of the best ever.

Okay movie, AMAZING soundtrack. The acting was pretty good, some of the movie was cheesy, some of it didn't make any sense. But wow, the music was awesome.

1001 movies to see before you die. Started with promise, but failed in the direction, writing and acting. It all wanted to be something that was implausible. Too bad though, the cultural side of Jamaica in those days was fascinating. Saw it on TCM.

a nice looking film and its an interesting setting. i wouldnt call this a masterpiece though. also its the only jamaican movie from the 70s i know of

Great soundtrack, terribly made movie that barely makes any sense.

A groundbreaking movie when released in the 70's bringing Reggae to the rest of the World. still a great watch in 2016. A no frills movie with a good storyline and good editing and direction. Some good songs too, as expected !

Reading Danny Peary's review in the 1980 book Cult Movies, and trying to tease out how much my reading of both is confounded by coming 36 years later: -Peary finds Cliff "too sexual for most whites to feel comfortable with". Reminds me that he also hit an odd note harping on Bruce Lee as 'sexual.' -talks about the apolitical black American audience. The movie's distribution aimed it at them, and they failed to be interested in this movie. -subheadings about Ivan's contact with "the island's major cultural influences" - Christianity, the record business, the ganja trade, the Rastafarians, the police/government, and outlaw mythology - and gives some great contextual information. Speaking for myself, it was a bit hard to sit through, watching late at night. Often because I couldn't make sense of a lot of Ivan's actions: wheeling around a golf course? Sometimes they seemed real enough, but really unfortunate: wheedling to get the keys to the church, where you know he'll get caught. Buying ever flashier clothes despite being skint. Shooting Jose's girl. But Peary totally nails it: he's not an easy protagonist to get on board with, and maybe that's especially true if you're white and middle class.

Good music but weak plot and performances. Jamaica. A young man from the country, Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin (played by Jimmy Cliff) heads into the city after his grandmother dies. He tries to get work, with little success, but his dream is to become a music star. He gets a single recorded but, though the song is popular, he doesn't get much out of it - the record company has the upper hand. In desperation he turns to crime. A reasonably historic film in that this was the first feature film produced in Jamaica. The movie also introduced reggae music to a wider audience. On that note, the music in the movie is great, and gives the movie a great vibe. However, the rest of the movie leaves much to be desired. Plot is pretty basic. It started off struggling to find a focus, but then when it does, it is pretty unoriginal, predictable and one-dimensional. No real character depth. You don't really feel that engaged with the character of Ivan. What little engagement you had goes out the window once he starts shooting people. Jimmy Cliff is okay in the lead role but the remaining cast are pretty wooden. Some quite cringeworthy acting at times.

Not a bad flick, great music for sure. A real Jamaican feel to it.

Similar to Scarface/Goodfellas- but independent and with much less production. Has real heart(instead of loyalty-first) and less glitz- also with funky bass instead of Tony's killer lines.

A wonderful, gritty, exciting film, maybe the best Jamaican film ever, certainly the best reggae film ever. A real treat for fans of reggae and fans of poverty-row gangster pics. If you aren't a bonafide Jimmy Cliff fan after seeing this, there's something wrong with you.