---
title: "The Harder They Come"
year: 1972
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-harder-they-come"
fi1m_id: "the-harder-they-come"
imdb_id: "tt0070155"
tmdb_id: 7514
wikidata_id: "Q576909"
fi1m_score: 80
critics_score: 73
critics_reviews: 9
published: "2026-09-26T17:47:15.375263+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-26T17:47:22.682669+00:00"
region: "CH"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Harder They Come (1972)

Directed by Perry Henzell · 1h 43m · Crime, Drama, Music

## Identity

The Harder They Come

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-harder-they-come
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-harder-they-come
- **IMDb ID:** tt0070155
- **TMDB ID:** 7514
- **Wikidata ID:** Q576909
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070155/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/7514, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q576909

**Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 73 from 9 reviews

*In a sentence:* Jimmy Cliff can sing; persuading the music business to care is another profession

> Jimmy Cliff makes Perry Henzell’s reggae crime drama worth seeing even when the storytelling gets ragged. The music is a pleasure, and the film’s anger at the obstacles facing a singer feels earned.

## Synopsis

Ivanhoe “Ivan” Martin (Jimmy Cliff) travels from the country to Kingston, hoping to establish himself as a reggae singer. His efforts to enter the music business unfold among the city’s slums, where earning a living from his voice proves difficult. The story also features Elsa (Janet Bartley) and Preacher (Basil Keane). Ivan wants a musical career, but getting heard means finding a way into an industry that is hard for a newcomer to enter. Arriving in the city leaves him with the work of turning ambition into a livelihood.

## Review

Perry Henzell’s *The Harder They Come* gives us a good reason to care about a singer before it asks us to follow a crime story. Jimmy Cliff plays Ivanhoe “Ivan” Martin, who comes from the country to Kingston hoping to enter the reggae business. His talent makes the ambition credible, and the difficulty of getting started supplies an anger the film earns. It is well worth seeing, though the storytelling sometimes struggles to keep up with the music.

Cliff is the main reason that combination works. There is an openness to his performance that makes Ivan’s wish to be heard easy to understand, without requiring us to approve of everything about him. We were moved by his singing, because hearing that voice makes the struggle to find a place in the business feel wasteful and unfair. The performance gives Ivan something worth pursuing, so that his frustration means more than a screenplay telling us that an outsider has been badly treated.

The views of Kingston’s slums hold our attention without the soundtrack doing the work for them. Henzell’s documentary-style approach gives the city a life beyond its usefulness as a setting for Ivan’s troubles. Poverty stays in view, and it makes the hope of earning money from music feel practical and urgent. This is where the film’s social criticism is most convincing: we can understand why a newcomer might believe that talent ought to be enough.

The music credited to Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker and The Slickers is allowed to be enjoyable in its own right. Its rhythms give the film forward movement even when the plotting is uncertain, and Henzell does not need to explain its appeal. That pleasure is important to the film’s account of musical ambition. We hear why someone would want to do this, and the soundtrack allows us to share that pleasure without forgetting the difficulty of making a living.

The editing, credited to Reicland Anderson, John Victor Smith and Richard White, is less consistently persuasive. The film moves briskly, and that briskness suits Ivan’s impatience, but some transitions feel hurried. We can follow its interest in music and its interest in crime without always feeling that the two have been brought together convincingly. A little more time between developments would have helped us understand how one leads to another.

Perry Henzell and co-writer Trevor D. Rhone are strongest when the difficulty of entering the music business carries the drama. As the crime material takes up more space, some of that specificity gives way to familiar excitement. Cliff keeps it involving, but the aspiring singer is a more distinctive figure than the genre’s usual angry outsider. By establishing what Ivan wants so persuasively, the writers have made the passages about getting started in music difficult for the busier plotting to match.

At 103 minutes, there is enough here to justify accepting the rougher passages, especially for anyone interested in how music becomes a livelihood. We would take Cliff’s performance and this close attention to Kingston over a tidier story with less to notice. Come for the singing, and allow some patience for the plot.

*Fi1m score 80, published 26 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to The Harder They Come, with the reggae soundtrack drawing the most consistent praise across otherwise differing assessments. The reviews also value its closely observed depiction of Kingston and its anger at social conditions and the music business. Jimmy Cliff’s performance attracts praise even from a sceptical critic. Supporters find energy and political force in a film whose rough edges do not necessarily diminish its impact.

The spread is wide, though the reservations centre chiefly on the storytelling. Radio Times finds the early struggle to enter the music business convincing but argues that the film later slips into banal blaxploitation. The New Yorker is more dismissive of the hurried mixture of musical biography and social protest, while still admiring Cliff and the music. Some enthusiastic retrospective assessments also concern restored editions and supplementary material, rather than the film alone.

## Straight answers

**Is The Harder They Come worth watching?**

*The Harder They Come* is well worth watching for Jimmy Cliff’s singing and its close attention to musical ambition in Kingston; we score it 80 out of 100. We recommend it especially for the music and the frustration of trying to earn a living from talent, though the crime plotting grows ragged.

**How long is The Harder They Come, and what is it rated?**

*The Harder They Come* runs 1h 43m. It is a crime and drama film.

**Where can I watch The Harder They Come in Switzerland?**

*The Harder They Come* is not on any streaming or rental service in Switzerland at the moment. It is available in 4 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is The Harder They Come, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Harder They Come* carries a US R rating, so we would not recommend it for children; no UK certificate is supplied. That rating indicates restricted viewing for younger audiences, but we cannot specify the intensity of violence or frightening material from the classification alone.

**How does The Harder They Come compare to The Commitments?**

*The Harder They Come* is our choice for a rougher, angrier account of musical ambition, while [*The Commitments*](https://film.one/film/the-commitments) is the better fit for a warm, funny evening built around a band. We find the crime plotting uneven in the former and a little too much polish in the latter, but both make the songs worth caring about.

**What should I watch after The Harder They Come?**

After *The Harder They Come*, try [*The Commitments*](https://film.one/film/the-commitments) (1991, Fi1m 82): Working-class musical ambition, band politics and songs that make the quarrels worthwhile. Then [*La Haine*](https://film.one/film/la-haine) (1995, Fi1m 90): Street-level anger and charismatic young men whose options keep getting narrower.

### Reviews we read (9)

- **Slant Magazine**, Keith Watson (5/5): Watson praises the Blu-ray package as a definitive presentation of the film and Henzell’s career. He singles out the reggae soundtrack for its stirring impact and the disc’s vivid image and sound. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-harder-they-come-blu-ray-review-perry-henzell/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (85/100, inferred): Turan warmly celebrates the film’s cultural impact and recommends its new collector’s edition. He singles out its role in introducing reggae to a wider audience and praises the restored bonus feature. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-08-15/review-critics-choice-the-harder-they-come-changed-the-way-the-world-saw-reggae)
- **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (85/100, inferred): Tobias finds the film a powerful, politically radical work whose social critique remains forceful. He singles out its reggae soundtrack and documentary-style depiction of Kingston’s slums for praise. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-harder-they-come-dvd-1798195689)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (80/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the film raw, energetic and sharply self-aware, with Ivan’s downfall giving it a forceful tragic edge. He particularly praises the throbbing reggae soundtrack and Jimmy Cliff’s performance. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/aug/03/the-harder-they-come-review-jimmy-cliff-falls-hard-in-visceral-revenge-western)
- **Empire**, William Thomas (75/100, inferred): The critic calls it a Jamaican classic that feels worn around the edges but still has angry momentum. The rollicking reggae soundtrack is singled out as the film’s greatest strength. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/harder-come-review/)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (75/100, inferred): Variety gives the film a favorable verdict, praising its taut pacing and visual flair. It also singles out the music’s lively rhythm and the film’s effective use of local color. [Read](https://variety.com/1972/film/reviews/the-harder-they-come-1200422872/)
- **Time Out**, TR (65/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a review, but its verdict cannot be recovered from the available material. Its description frames the story around Jimmy Cliff’s country-to-Kingston journey and the reggae industry. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-harder-they-come-1)
- **Radio Times**, David Parkinson (3/5): Parkinson finds the film compelling at first but says it later descends into banal blaxploitation. He praises its keenly observed depiction of Kingston and the convincing portrayal of the struggle to enter the music business. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ppofvy/the-harder-they-come/)
- **The New Yorker**, Pauline Kael (35/100, inferred): Kael finds the film’s narrative a messy, hurried blend of musical biography and social-protest fantasy. She praises Jimmy Cliff’s radiance and the music’s infectious cultural vitality, which linger despite the film’s flaws. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1973/02/24/the-riddles-of-pop)

## Details

- **Director:** Perry Henzell
- **Director:** Perry Henzell
- **Writer:** Perry Henzell, Trevor D. Rhone
- **Editor:** Reicland Anderson, John Victor Smith, Richard White
- **Music:** Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, The Slickers
- **Producer:** Perry Henzell, Jeff Scheftel
- **Cast:** Jimmy Cliff as Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin; Janet Bartley as Elsa; Carl Bradshaw as Jose; Ras Daniel Hartman as Pedro; Basil Keane as Preacher; Bob Charlton as Hilton; Winston Stona as Detective Ray Jones; Lucia White as Mother
- **Runtime:** 1h 43m
- **First release (JM):** 5 June 1972
- **Genres:** Crime, Drama, Music
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imGkQdE7N2s

## Where to watch in Switzerland

Not streaming, renting or buying in Switzerland at the last check.

Also available in: AU, CA, GB, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Rockers* (1978): Another Jamaican musician negotiates crooked dealings, with reggae given plenty of room.
- *The Commitments* (1991), Fi1m 82: Working-class musical ambition, band politics and songs that make the quarrels worthwhile. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-commitments.md)
- *Touki Bouki* (1973): Young Senegalese outsiders dream of escape in a restless, musically charged film.
- *La Haine* (1995), Fi1m 90: Street-level anger and charismatic young men whose options keep getting narrower. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/la-haine.md)
- *Gully Boy* (2019): An aspiring Mumbai rapper confronts the distance between talent and opportunity.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-harder-they-come