The Harder They Come (1972)

The reggae soundtrack throbs and crunches and shudders in concert with the raw energy of Henzell’s storytelling and Cliff’s performance, but this doesn’t preclude a shrewdly self-aware debate about representation.

The Harder They Come‘s two defining traits – violence and style – inform almost all of Ivan’s behaviour as he adopts the fashions and nihilism of the heroes of American and European cinema. Yet the world around him remains dully ambivalent and cruel in ways more complex and unpredictable than the characters he replicates.

The movie's critiques of the music industry, the ganja trade, and organized religion still ring true.

For those who saw it back in 1972, The Harder They Come was a revelation, evocative of a poor but vibrant Jamaican culture few Americans knew about, with a bombshell reggae soundtrack that for all intents introduced the musical genre here.

While it was ultimately the songs—You Can Get It If You Really Want, Many Rivers To Cross, Pressure Drop, and the title track, among other classics—that carried the day, The Harder They Come remains a powerful testament to their meaning.

Perry Henzell emerges a director with a solid visual flair who can mix action and inchoate rage sans excess to give the film a taut pacing and use the local color and a basically predictable tale with a few new twists.

The filmmaking is a bit crude at times but it packs an emotional wallop.

The Harder They Come’s greatest asset may still be its soundtrack, which makes such a stirring impact because it provides a cathartic release from the grim realities depicted on screen.

A proud, forthright indictment of national and personal corruption, as evoked through a young reggae singer's odyssey from country to city, from innocent to outlaw.

The Harder They Come is always exuberant, and sometimes strong, as casually surprising and effortlessly sinister as the blade sliding out of a gravity knife.

第一次看牙买加电影，形式上既有未被工业化流程所抹杀的野味，也有受新好莱坞犯罪电影影响的痕迹，娱乐性很强。主题歌有意思。我估计山顶洞人学英语的口音会类似牙买加英语，这口音太蒙昧了，听说本片是美国上映第一部加英语字幕的英语电影，想起《妈咪》全程大舌头魁北克法语，迫使戛纳放映加法语字幕。

Yin音乐五星

电影课公开放映影片No.5 学Film Sound时候看的 音乐赞 更赞的是导演作为一个牙买加富人区的白人 从这么个Robin Hood类型的男主身上 竟然探讨了社会政治宗教这么多内容

原声真飞

1972年的牙买加电影«不速之客»,将音乐与犯罪融为一炉.展现牙买加贫民窟的人物群像,刻画当时社会地层小人物生活的现状.爱音乐的农村小子,在音乐梦碎后变身凶恶毒贩,逆转的身份在时代氛围里显得讽刺又真实.本片电影音乐入围全球百部伟大电影原声,雷鬼音乐和毒品细节,呈现出片中底层人物无望的精神

你的人生来去匆忙，好在还有音乐留人间。

里程碑

本以为就是一出雷鬼风光片，没想到竟是一次颇为左倾的牙买加社会探查。宗教和雷鬼音乐产业都是麻醉底层人民痛感神经的毒品。影片最后，可以清晰的看出，本片主创认识到，这种娱乐大众的犯罪惊险电影本身同样是资本主义的帮凶。我国电影缺少的就是这种觉悟吧

关于梦想的失落过程，每个人在最初的时候都是一个理想主义者，怀揣着某种伟大或高尚，可是现实总是缓慢而无情地加以剥蚀，结局不是流同世俗就是死亡。生活是冷漠而艰涩的，所有的梦想都被挤压而失色干瘪。影片用一个并不出众的手法讲述了一个同样也不出彩的故事，稍显凌乱和生涩。

老师让我们把这个电影和breathless相比 嗯 不从艺术角度说吧 个人以为 怎么比啊 这个也太黑暗了 不喜欢

note：self-made hero，典型的第三世界小夥子發夢記。

Truly a crazy Jamaican movie, but the sound track is really cool

OST太强大了!

看得太辛苦了，没字幕，又全是牙买加口音的英语，听得极其痛苦。

我甚至写了桂柳话字幕！

原声很好

拍摄手法原始笨拙，音乐太出色了

又是那种被剥夺希望的感觉结尾。被逼接受他是个dreamer。dreamers没有好下场。爸爸说，去信基督教吧。但是无法信仰宗教。感兴趣。无法信仰。有时宗教让人不寒而栗。追逐来世，不如改变现实。The harder they come the harder they fall. You can get it if you really want but you must try. 他得到了。但是代价惨重。死得满足不能改变死亡这个沉重付出。

地位非凡

who likes reggae guys like me........結尾好勁