This Post is a part of an ongoing project in which I watch one movie from a different country every other week…. Okay, so the “every other week” part hasn’t been upheld that much recently because of some incredibly busy times, but I hope to start these back up again regularly (apologies).

PLOT: When his dreams of becoming a famous reggae singer fail, a young man sets out to become famous by any means necessary.

MEMORABLE MOMENT: Throughout most of the film, our hero, Ivan (Jimmy Cliff), is determined to become a famous musician. However, his dreams are deferred time and time again. Sometimes these setbacks are his fault. Other times they are the fault of the world he was born into. Due to a cruel twist of fate, Ivan kills several police officers and is forced to become a fugitive. When his lover, Elsa (Janet Bartley) tells him that everyone is looking for him, he smiles and says, “You didn’t believe me. Didn’t I tell you I was going to be famous one day?” This one line sums up the whole movie.

WHO IS IT FOR?: In the United States, The Harder They Come became a midnight cult film during the early 1970’s (it was an all out sensation in its native country of Jamaica). This was largely due to its soundtrack. The movie is practically a musical, and this is a must-see film for anyone who’s ever been even a passing fan of Reggae. “Liking reggae = The Harder They Come is required viewing.” That’s a given. It’s more or less the film’s reputation. But what about people who aren’t so much into that scene? What does the movie have to offer them? Well, you should still check it out, especially if you’re a fan of crime films from the 70’s and 90’s.

Granted, compared to many thrillers there isn’t a whole lot of action, and the little that is there isn’t included for entertainment purposes. However, even before the first bullet was fired, there was something about this film that made me think of early Martin Scorsese. I’m thinking Mean Streets (which came out one year later, 1973) and Taxi Driver (1976). All three films are gritty and grounded with violent anti-heroes who we still kind of like. But there is more to it than that. In most of his films, Scorsese captures the spirit, culture and people of New York City, a metropolis that has been his career-spanning muse. Similarly, the director of The Harder they Come, Perry Henzell, captures the aura of Kingston, Jamaica in the early 70’s. I’ve never been to Kingston and I was born after the 70’s ended, but it still gave me me a taste of that time and place.

There is also something very Quentin Tarantino about the way Henzell combines the music and culture of the time with a story about a criminal obsessed with becoming a musician. There is a fierce criminal energy to The Harder They Come that reminded me of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. I’m sure QT attended at least one of the midnight screenings I mentioned above (hopefully he doesn’t get it in his head to remake this movie).

So The Harder They Come is a musical and a crime film, but it is also, to a certain extent, a satire. During the last half hour, Ivan becomes something of a folk hero, rebelling against local authority. Radio stations play his music and people ask him for his autograph. It’s everything he ever wanted only it’s happening because he killed a bunch of cops. There are moments during the final third of the running time where the filmmakers clearly lampoon the media in a way that reminded me of Network and Natural Born Killers. Even though the “media” of ’70’s Kingston is made up of newspapers and radio programs, there’s a lot going on that parallels the way today’s 24 hour news cycles and social media glamorize death and murder.

This is a movie for fans of early Scorsese or Tarantino and anyone looking for a bloody satire.It is harsh, grounded and violent and at the end of the day it might just make a Reggae fan out of you.

DIRECTOR: Perry Henzell

WRITER: Perry Henzell & Trevor D. Rhone

STARING: Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley & Carl Bradshaw