The Harder They Fall by director Jeymes Samuel is what would be called a revisionist revenge or spaghetti Western. In the sense that it is populated almost entirely by black characters who otherwise are mostly absent from other masterpieces of the genre. And while that may sound like another attempt to up the wokeness ratio of an undeserving film, in this case it doesn’t harm it at all. This is a viscerally brutal and enticingly thrilling work which deserves a place in the pantheon of movies belonging to the genre. It helps that it is backed up by some great turns from good actors.

There are ostensibly two factions here. One, led by Nat Love (Jonathan Majors), includes Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi), Cuffee (Danielle Deadwyler), Jim Beckworth (RJ Cyler) as well as a local marshal played by Delroy Lindo. Nat experienced trauma as a child, watching a certain villain waste his family in front of him and scarring him (literally) for life. He is out for a long-winded revenge, which also involves robbing bank robbers and distributing the loot. One of those such loots belong to his sworn enemy, the charismatic Rufus Buck (Idris Elba). His gang includes the no-nonsense Trudy (Regina King) as well as the unflappable Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield). Their first order of business is springing Rufus from a heavily guarded train and going back to the town which they lorded over before Rufus was sent to prison. Into this town go riding Nat Love and gang, including the woman he is hopelessly in love with, Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beetz). But Mary walks into the lion’s den hoping to stake out the land before the gang goes in and gets captured. To release her, Nat Love and co. need to rob a white people’s bank and make up for the loot they took from Rufus. After this, the stage is finally set for the long final showdown and the ultimate moment of truth between Nat and Rufus, one which may throw up some more surprises.

As the movie states at the beginning, these were real characters, but the events they have been dropped into are nothing but a figment of the imaginations of the filmmakers. There is much to recommend here, despite the obviousness of the theme and a somewhat contrived climax twist. It is marvelously shot for one thing, with the slick shots accompanied by pulse pounding music and some nattily dressed actors. All the actors are great in their roles, but as the primary players, Jonathan Majors (hard but with a streak of vulnerability in him) and Idris Elba (the incredibly charismatic bad-der guy) are perfectly cast and play off each other with relish.

While the film may not push the envelope much in terms of originality (apart from the cast), it is a ridiculously good time waiting to be had. Despite the relatively longer running time, I was captivated from the start, though a word of warning for those who don’t like their gore much. This is a violent movie, but if you can get over that, it is a must watch.