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The Harder They Come

The Harder They Come

Crime · Drama · Music · 1972

Ivanhoe Martin arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, looking for work and, after some initial struggles, lands a recording contract as a reggae singer. He records his first song, "The Harder They Come," but after a bitter dispute with a manipulative producer named Hilton, soon finds himself resorting to petty crime in order to pay the bills. He deals marijuana, kills some abusive cops and earns local folk hero status. Meanwhile, his record is topping the charts.

Movie details

The Harder They Come

“With a Piece in His Hand He Takes on the Man!”

1972 Crime · Drama · Music 1h 43m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

Ivanhoe Martin arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, looking for work and, after some initial struggles, lands a recording contract as a reggae singer. He records his first song, "The Harder They Come," but after a bitter dispute with a manipulative producer named Hilton, soon finds himself resorting to petty crime in order to pay the bills. He deals marijuana, kills some abusive cops and earns local folk hero status. Meanwhile, his record is topping the charts.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Harder They Come?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Perry Henzell

Written by

Trevor D. Rhone · Perry Henzell

Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff

Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin

J

Janet Bartley

Elsa

C

Carl Bradshaw

Jose

R

Ras Daniel Hartman

Pedro

B

Basil Keane

Preacher

B

Bob Charlton

Hilton

Winston Stona

Winston Stona

Detective Ray Jones

Court is in session

Put The Harder They Come on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.