By Netflix has released the first teaser trailer for Jeymes Samuel’s The Harder They Fall, the upcoming outlawry, rootin’ shootin’ Western starring Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, and Regina King… And LaKeith Stanfield, Delroy Lindo, Zazie Beets, and more. The Harder They Fall has an absolutely stacked cast.
Telling a dusty, bloody tale of outlaw rivalry, Nat Love (Majors) rallies his gang when he learns of rival Rufus Buck’s escape from imprisonment, picking up a simmering feud from the two men’s past like a paused game of chess. From there it’s shotgun blasts and wooden caskets all around and, well, I’m here for every shell casing and desperado duel.
While the new trailer might bear a bit of a “clean,” digital aesthetic, The Harder They Fall is already looking to be carried by its all-star cast and charismatic demeanor. It’s a film with loaded imagery; Elba’s shackled Rufus Black emerging from a safe, slow-motion gunfire and bloodshed.
The Harder They Fall is co-produced by Samuel, with Jay-Z, James Lassiter, and Lawrence Bender, extending the tidal wave of talent to behind the camera, as well as in front of it. With the trailer’s funky soundtrack and the bloody flourishes, one could be forgiven for recalling films like Tarantino’s Django Unchained. Bender, a frequent collaborator on Tarantino’s films, might be bringing a touch all his own to The Harder They Fall, and it seems to be paying off.
The Harder They Fall hit a snag during its pandemic-restricted shoot, but this train seems to be on track for a Netflix release later this year.