On Muddled Themes

The Wild West provides a perfect backdrop for stories that revolve around fixed principles. The tumbleweed welcoming the stranger to town gets the audience thinking about the big picture, cycles that were in play long before they were born, cycles that will be in play centuries from now. Man’s ambition is what kicked off the Gold Rush. And within that landscape, the Western as a movie genre was conceived and birthed to a people eager to be on the right side of history. The Harder They Fall pursues the rich themes of power succession, but somewhere along the beaten path, this story is distracted by revenge and confusion surrounding lineages.
Rufus Buck, the villain of this western, deliciously portrayed by Idris Elba, is the embodiment of pride and power. This man is consumed with his own ideals for his gang and the small town of Redwood, which he ransoms as his own. His wickedness spans from wanton murder of the innocent to twisting the arms of justice, trading his own pardon from his incarceration for the murder of a crooked soldier. Rufus Buck collaborates creatively with evil. He is a cunning villain, but beyond his gunmen, Rufus’ pride is his ultimate undoing.
***spoilers ahead***
While viewers are introduced to him during his worst loss, Nat Love comes on the scene with the skill of a seasoned sailor. He is able to track down the people who were associated with the brutal murder of his parents, all the way to The Scorpion, the outlaw who worked alongside Rufus Buck all those years ago. Nat returns to the arms of his lover, Stagecoach Mary, assuring her that he’s vanquished all his foes and is finally ready to be by her side in peace. Nat Love has only the amount of pride he is entitled to; everyone who has met their end at his hand has been an outlaw who deserved it. His conscience is clear and the ones who follow him trust his guidance because of the purity of his spirit. Nat Love is Rufus Buck’s reckoning.
The Harder They Fall sets up a wonderful premise about the kind of pride that exalts itself beyond what is entitled. In between quick draws, boozy salons, and the gorgeous lilt of Southern accents, this movie paints a landscape where evil truly comes to its reckoning and the haughty are abased before justice. Especially as Cuffee, the guard at Stagecoach Mary’s, matures and finds herself caught up in the work of the Nat Love gang, it becomes clear that the god of the Wild West loves an underdog. And when Jim Beckwourth seeks to establish himself as the fastest gun that side of the Mississippi, fate smiles on him up ‘til the very end.
Jim Beckwourth’s story is an excellent example of the manipulation of lineages in this film frustrate the ultimate theme. Jim Beckwourth is the fastest gun in Nat Love’s gang, but any time he seeks to establish himself as the fastest gun (period.) he is met with rumors about Cherokee Bill of the Crimson Hoods, Rufus Buck’s gang. As he and Cherokee Bill face off, Jim might exhibit the characteristics of pride, but that’s because he is honorable in the quick draw. As Cherokee Bill murders Jim in their final face-off (due to the fact that Bill is dishonorable), he speaks in his native Cherokee tongue. The use of this tongue and backhanded tactics on Cherokee Bill’s part points to a lineage outside Jim’s understanding. While Bill meets his just end at the hands of Cuffee, it is a senseless plot point to have Cherokee Bill calling back to his lineage to somehow justify the way he carries himself during the quick draw.
The conclusion of a movie often is the final resting place of the story it presents. The final scenes tie together the theme and settle it in an understanding that knows beginning to end. The Harder They Fall falters at its end because it muddles its theme. As Rufus distracts Nat Love from killing him, he introduces a string of lineage that only serves to cloud both Nat Love’s own judgement and the judgement of the audience. If Nat Love is descended from an outlaw turned family man, is he transgressing by murdering his outlaw uncle?
Rufus’ dying confession sours the tale of justice dealt to pride and power. While The Harder They Fall is a captivating watch with a wonderful crew and a fresh, well-done soundtrack all the way through, it fumbles at the finish line, building a set of smoke and mirrors that obscure the true wealth of the underlying story.