Netflix has premiered the first trailer for the upcoming film The Harder They Fall, a new action-packed western from first-time feature director Jeymes Samuel. The new film features an all-star cast including Idris Elba, Regina King, and LaKeith Stanfield. Samuel's previous work includes the short film They Die by Dawn, another western starring Rosario Dawson and Giancarlo Esposito.
The official synopsis for The Harder They Fall reads, "When outlaw Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) discovers that his enemy Rufus Buck (Elba) is being released from prison he rounds up his gang to track Rufus down and seek revenge. Those riding with him in this assured, righteously new school Western include his former love Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beetz), his right and left-hand men — hot-tempered Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi) and fast drawing Jim Beckwourth (R.J. Cyler)—and a surprising adversary-turned-ally. Rufus Buck has his own fearsome crew, including “Treacherous” Trudy Smith (King) and Cherokee Bill (Stanfield), and they are not a group that knows how to lose."
The trailer for The Harder They Fall opens with what appears to be a typical western movie train robbery but it turns out to actually be a prison break, as we see King and Stanfield break Elba's outlaw character Rufus Buck out of a heavily guarded prison train. A gunfight ensues as Elba keeps his cool and calmly walks through the mayhem. The sequence ends with Stanfield stating, "You do know how to make a grand entrance." The trailer then introduces the rest of the all-star cast as they shoot their way through the title cards.
It's safe to say that after this action-packed trailer, The Harder They Fall just became one of the most highly anticipated 2021 film releases. This isn't the first time Netflix has delved into the wild west. In 2017, the streamer released the mini-series Godless about a New Mexico town that is run entirely by women after most of the men were killed in a mining accident. The series starred Jeff Daniels as outlaw Frank Griffin as well Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery, Merritt Wever, Jack O'Connell, and Scoot McNairy as the town's sheriff. More recently, Netflix acquired the streaming rights to the modern-day western Concrete Cowboy, which also stars Elba as the leader of a group of Philadelphia-based cowboys. The film was inspired by the real-life urban African-American horseriding culture of Philadelphia.
The Harder They Fall is just the latest in a sub-genre known as Black Westerns. While not necessarily as well known as some of the western classics, Black Westerns are westerns starring and often made by black actors and directors that focus on subjects and issues related to African-Americans. Some examples would be Buck and Preacher, directed by and starring Hollywood legend Sidney Poitier, John Singleton's Rosewood, and blaxploitation pioneer Mario Van Peebles film Posse. There's plenty of others to add to that list, and if the trailer for The Harder They Fall got you excited, it's highly recommended that you seek out some of its predecessors.
Written, directed, and produced by Samuel, The Harder They Fall also stars veteran actor Delroy Lindo who recently gained high acclaim for his performance in Spike Lee's film Da 5 Bloods, which also premiered on Netflix. The Harder They Fall was co-written by Remember the Titans director Boaz Yakin. Jay-Z, Lawrence Bender, and James Lassiter also serve as producers.
The Harder They Fall is set to be released in theatres and on Netflix sometime in the latter half of 2021.
Source: Netflix | YouTube