Movie

The Harder They Come

1972 · 103 min

A raw, energetic rise-and-fall crime story powered by reggae, blending gritty realism with a rebellious, tragic spirit.

Directed by: Perry Henzell
Genres: Crime, Drama, Music
Starring: Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw

Tagline: With a Piece in His Hand He Takes on the Man!
Overview: 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.

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Directed by: Perry Henzell
Genres: Crime, Drama, Music
Starring: Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: darkstrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
satiricalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: crime
ambition
corruption
class
justice
Places: big city
countryside
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: nonlinear
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence strong
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	5
Horror	2
Humour	3
Realism	8
Romance	3
Tension	6
Darkness	7
Complexity	6
Emotional weight	7

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Details

Genres: crime, drama, music
Directed by: Perry Henzell
Written by: Perry Henzell, Trevor D. Rhone
Starring: Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw, Ras Daniel Hartman, Basil Keane, Bob Charlton, Winston Stona, Lucia White
Runtime: 103 min
Country: Jamaica
Languages: English

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The Harder They Come

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