The wild west genre is getting a new kind of entry, one with black-led cast of actors in a story about how some Outlaws of color came to into conflict in the backdrop of the Western frontier. Idris Elba stars as Rufus Buck, an outlaw who gets sprung from prison. Rufus being out sparks a revenge plot from those he’s crossed – namely rival outlaw Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) who gathers together his own crew to take out Rufus and his own crew of killers. The film comes from English writer/producer/director Jeymes Samuel, who seems to have a penchant for Black Western stories.
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Samuel’s previous feature-film directorial project was They Die By Dawn, another Western with a diverse cast. That film told the story of “four outlaws with a bounty on each head, set a date for a shootout in Langston, Oklahoma. The last man takes the collective bounty. Violence and mayhem ensue.” It starred the likes of Rosario Dawson (The Mandalorian), Giancarlo Esposito (The Mandalorian), Kelly Hu (X2), Michael Kenneth Williams (Lovecraft Country), Harry Lennix (Justice League), and Erykah Badu. The Harder They Fall is going with an equally start-studded ensemble cast to lure in moviegoers, with the cast including Elba, Majors, Regina King (Watchmen), Zazie Beetz (Joker), LaKeith Stanfield (Jesus and the Black Messiah), Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods), Woody McClain (Power Book II), and Edi Gathegi (X-Men: First Class).
Here’s the synopsis and casting information for Netflix’s The Harder They Fall:
When outlaw Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) discovers that his enemy Rufus Buck (Idris 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 (Regina King) and Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield), and they are not a group that knows how to lose.
Directed by Jeymes Samuel, written by Samuel and Boaz Yakin, produced by Shawn Carter, James Lassiter, Lawrence Bender and Jeymes Samuel, and featuring a red hot soundtrack and a stunning all-star cast, including Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beetz, Delroy Lindo, LaKeith Stanfield, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, R.J. Cyler, Damon Wayans Jr., Deon Cole with Regina King and Idris Elba revenge has never been served colder.
The Harder They Fall will stream on Netflix sometime in 2021.
