Fantastic!

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Blistering performances.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The Harder They Come is a seminal gangster film from Jamaica. It is not a very good film, being low budget with amateurish acting. Even some of the songs are recycled throughout the film.Ska legend Jimmy Cliff plays Ivan Martin, a young singer from the country who comes to Kingston to make a name for himself. In his first day in town he is robbed, he loses his bike and he realises to survive he better toughen up fast.He gets his bike back, he is punished by the police and he takes on the unscrupulous music mogul who exploits the artists he signs up (rather common in Jamaica at the time.)Before long Ivan becomes an outlaw and his record becomes a big hit but the police are on to him.The story is banal in places but the film has an infectious energy, it has attracted a cult following and is regarded for popularising reggae music to the world.Look out for a cameo by another Ska legend Prince Buster who plays a club DJ. Ironically both Prince Buster and Jimmy Cliff became Muslim converts.

Yes, it's low budget, and it shows at times.However, the story is beautiful, the soundtrack is great. Most poor reviews seem to center around a dislike for the main character and who he becomes. As you watch the movie try to put yourself in the position where you are being exploited by everyone. Drug dealers, music 'moguls', priests, police. I cannot begin to imagine what it would have been like to like in extreme poverty in Kingston Jamaica, but I believe Jimmy Cliff and the Director capture it well in a compelling story. Some have dubbed this a blaxploitation film but it goes further than that, it's more about class lines than race colors, at least in my opinion.You well want a clean version to watch, and subtitles as well make it easier to follow along.

"The Harder They Come" is one of the few movies from the Carribbean to make a noise worldwide. Vibrant and full of soul it has been called 'not fully professional' or 'amateurish'. And you probably have to agree with this assessment, but on the other hand it doesn't change the fact that this piece of cinematographic history is way better than 99% of 'professional movies' made. It possesses really heart, some outstanding performances headlined by Jimmy Cliff and one of the greatest soundtracks ever.The story is based very loosely on a 1940s rudeboy. Following the trials and tribulations of Ivan, a simple man who arrives to the city from the country in search of his dreams. Focused on becoming famous and leaving the life of poverty he will do anything to overcome hardships. He biggest hope is to become a reggae singer, but the realities of the business never let him to fulfil that dream. In the end this leads him to a life of crime.The story isn't maybe well poised. At times it is rushed, at times it drags, several parts of the movie seem to have been omitted and certain events happen of screen forcing you to put 2 and 2 together. Basically the plot seems to wander all over the place, as if too much weed was being smoked during the making of this cult classic. But the more you watch the less you care about these relatively superficial deficiencies and focus on the movie itself. Which essentially is a cinematographic masterpiece made by amateurs with some gripping pictures, some thoughtful and innovative scenes plus a bit of tremendous heart with pulsates throughout the movies two hours duration.

Ivanhoe Martin (Jimmy Cliff) lives in Jamaica. He goes to the big city to become a singer. However he gets his song taken (for $200.00) by an unscrupulous record producer and ends up selling marijuana. When he shoots three policeman dead he becomes sort of a hero...and his record starts selling.This was a HUGE cult movie in the 1970s and 80s. At one art cinema in Cambridge Massachusetts it played OVER 10 YEARS as a midnight movie! I tried to see it there back in the 1980s but had to leave after 15 minutes. Quite a few people were smoking pot openly in the theatre (Ah! The 80s!) and the smell was terrible. I finally caught it in the 1990s and I honestly can't see what all the fuss is about. It's not a terrible movies (I'm giving it a 7) but it's no great shakes. It's crudely made with terrible acting, a predictable story and dialogue that's almost impossible to understand (due to the strong Jamaican accents most of the cast has). This film also introduced (I think) reggae to America. The songs are great and Cliff really belts them out. Unfortunately there's only two or three songs and they're repeated again and again and AGAIN! The direction is good for such a low budget movie. So--I didn't hate it but I honestly can't see why people kept seeing this over and over. If it's just for the music they could have bought the album.