I saw this movie in the theater, shortly after its release. This is still a good movie with a great seminal reggae soundtrack, but the original revolutionary message of the movie has been hacked out and distorted, and the hero has been turned into an unsympathetic criminal. Scenes are missing and some altered, and the feeling of the film has gone from Robin Hood (protector of the poor and driven to violence by severe oppression) to Bonnie and Clyde (natural born criminals with no regard for human life). It has also been sanitized of some drug-positive content (note that there is a religious sanctity to marijuana in Jamaica, and this alteration is therefore especially offensive - how would you feel if a movie tangentially about Catholicism substituted milk for wine in the Eucharist, or refused to show the ritual at all?).

I am appalled.

I was born the year after this movie came out,but I clearly remember the soundtrack as my mother had it in her record collection.It has followed me through almost 30 years now,and I still love it.Said to be based on a true story this movie is about a young man called Ivanhoe(Jimmy Cliff;who also performs several great,classic songs) who arrives in Kingston by bus after his grandma's death,with nothing but high hopes of being discovered by a producer and to record an album,some mangoes for his mother and few personal belongings.After trying and failing to convince him to return to the countryside,his mother rather desperately sends him to a preacher who she hopes can help him to stay away from criminal activities,find a decent job and lead a good Christian life,but he has other plans. However,the corruption in the record industry is just as bad as anywhere else and upsetting the wrong people is never good for a career...this is basically a tragic movie of hopes that become tainted by harsh circumstances,but the wonderful music somehow makes sure you never lose hope for the characters.

I must add I have never seen it with subs,so it wasn't always easy to understand(especially since English isn't my first language),but it was worth the extra effort.Jamaican Patois must be the coolest accent in the world.A true diamond in the rough from the early seventies,with brilliant singer Jimmy Cliff in the leading role as an extra bonus.

Apparently, when this film was shown in American theaters, it was shown with open captions because much of the Jamaican dialog is very difficult to follow. However, oddly, when the film has come on TV (such as on Turner Classic Movies) it had no captioning of any type and I just gave up watching it in frustration. Fortunately, the Criterion version does have captions....but you must choose them from a pulldown menu. PLEASE remember to activate the captions unless you are fluent in Jamaican Creole.

The story is apparently based, to some degree, on a real Jamaican bandit who became a folk hero of sorts. For the movie, they changed a lot of his life, updated the story to the 1970s and made him a singer/drug dealer...a definate anti-hero.

Technically speaking, "The Harder They Come" isn't much of a film. The cinematography is sketchy and the acting just fair...but it also was a HUGE hit when it debuted...earning back far more than the film cost to make. Much of this is because the movie became a fan favorite at late night theaters here in the States. When you look at this film today, it all seems very hard to understand why the film gained such traction. But as the expression goes, 'it's all in the timing'....and in 1972 the film was timed just right. After all, the combination of civit unrest in Jamaica, rebellion being on the rise in the industrilized world and the increased use of drugs all served to create a demand for this sort of story.

The first portion of the film shows Ivan (Jimmy Cliff) trying to make a go of it in life. But again and again, he finds people standing in his way, trying to keep him down. The Preacher is a hypocritical jerk, the record producers are simply thieves and the cops, well, they work forever pays them the most! And, eventually, Ivan has had enough and resorts to a life of crime...killing several people in the process. And, soon, the combination of one of his songs taking off on the radio and his anti-authoritarian crusade serve to make Ivan a local anti-hero...and soon he finds he has fans who offer to help hide him from the man. What's to eventually come of all this violence and lawlessness?

The best thing about this film is the music. While very repetitive, it's also very catchy and Cliff's singing is enjoyable. As for his acting, it's decent considering he really isn't a professional actor here. But the story itself is cheap...cheaply made and just okay. While the film was adored back in the 70s, it hasn't aged so well...it was just a different time and place and now that time and place has passed...making the film less enjoyable for newer audiences.