Review of The Harder They Come (1972) by Stuart K — 05 Aug 2013

Written and directed by Perry Henzell, this was the first feature film to be produced in Jamaica, even though the country had been a location for many international production, this was their first film.

The Harder They Come received international recognition for it's breakthrough reggae soundtrack album, which became more popular than the film itself, but the film is a great timepiece of Jamaica emerging as an international cultural powerhouse.

Ivanhoe Martin (Jimmy Cliff) is a Jamaican living in poverty, who just wants to get a break in life. He lives out in the country, and goes to Kingston to live with his mother (Lucia White), mainly to start again after the death of his sister.

After trying to find God with overzealous Preacher (Basil Keane), Ivanhoe gets lucky by being given the chance to record a song, but to Ivanhoe's dismay, he discovers the only way he can get his record to be a hit is if he signs away the rights to the song.

After being ripped off, this leads to Ivanhoe turning to a life of crime, pushing marjuana for drug dealer Jose (Carl Bradshaw) in Kingston, however one drug deal goes horribly wrong and Ivanhoe ends up on the run across Jamaica, and Jose ends up ratting Ivanhoe out to the police.

This is a film which is still heavy going to this day, some of it is hard to watch even now, and it has a raw energy that comes out well. It was banned in Jamaica claiming it would cause "hooliganism", but it was a hit in America thanks to Roger Corman, who put it on the midnight movie circuit, making the film a cult hit, along with the unforgettable soundtrack.