Rating: 
Summary: harder they come
Review:
***** AUSUM:
I thought it was ausum. The music was great like " The harder they come " and of course " you can get it if you really want ". Then the neatest thing was it maid me like reggae music. Also it would be a go see movie. It also has t do with Jamaican history of singing. Another thing is if it is too expensive better to go to a place where it is cheaper on DVD. This goes for a ***** star.
Rating: 
Summary: Ivan sings good..
Review: The thing that I like about this movie was the music was very good I like how Ivan sings reggae. The other thing that I like was that Ivan made his record and all the people in Jamaica liked his song.
Rating:
Summary: Cross This River
Review: 1973's The Harder They Come is something of the Jamaican version of Bonnie & Clyde or Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, but with a singular lead character instead of duo. Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff stars as Ivan Martin, who at the start of the film arrives in Kingston from the country with dreams of stardom as a singer. After struggling to find work, he is taken in by a preacher (Basil Keane) and falls in love with the preacher's ward, Elsa (Janet Barkley). After using the church to practice his song, the preacher kicks both Ivan and Elsa out of the house. Ivan eventually gets a chance to record his song, the movie's title track, but the producer, Hilton, does not offer him riches, only $20.00. Ivan decides not to sign the contract releasing the song to Hilton and tries to sell the record himself. What he finds out is that Hilton controls not only the recording studio, but the radio stations, record stores and club DJ's as well. Ivan goes back to Hilton and accepts the $20.00. With basically no money to support Elsa and himself, he is taken in by Jose (Carl Bradshaw) who is the local ganja dealer. Jose teams Ivan up with Pedro (Ras Daniel Hartman) to push drugs. The drug trafficking is like everything else that Ivan runs across in Kingston, rife with corruption, being run by the local police. Ivan doesn't like the pay out he is getting from Jose, feeling he is doing all the work and getting none of the reward. Jose thinks Ivan has become nothing but trouble, so he tells the cops to arrest him. When Ivan is being pulled over by a cop, he shoots and kills him instead of surrendering. He gets caught in another showdown with the police, killing several more cops. Hilton decides to release Ivan's single and it becomes a smash hit, making Ivan a folk hero (much the same as Bonnie & Clyde and Butch & Sundance). Ivan enjoys his hero status and plays it to the hilt until a final showdown with the military on a beach. Director Perry Hanzell uses the Kingston landscape with its alternating tropical beauty and urban slums as a perfect juxtaposition between the paradise people believe Jamaica to be and the harsh reality of its cities. The camerawork is gritty and the acting is rough, but authentic. In fact the Jamaican accents are so thick in places, that subtitles are employed. Mr. Cliff, in his acting debut, gives a convincing and credible performance, but it is the reggae music that is the star of the film. The movie helped introduce reggae to an American audience and the songs like the title track, "You Can Get It If You Really Want It", "Johnny Too Bad" and especially the angelic "Many Rivers To Cross" (covered by artists like Cher, Joe Cocker, UB40, Harry Nilsson and most notably Linda Ronstadt) have become reggae classics.
Rating:
Summary: DILLINGER IN KINGSTON
Review: Good idea from Criterion to add this cult movie to its catalogue. After the 1973 release of THE HARDER THEY COME and its soundtrack, an astonished world discovered the reggae music and its main preachers at that time : Jimmy Cliff, the leading character of THE HARDER THEY COME, and Toots and the Maytals who gave an impressive performance in the movie.THE HARDER THEY COME is not only an interesting social documentary about Jamaica or reggae, it is also a fiction movie shot in a very professional manner with a lot of amateur actors. The music is masterfully integrated in the action and follows the story line without transforming THE HARDER THEY COME in a musical of the Hollywood tradition. Two commentaries, english subtitles, an interview with the founder of Island records and a superb copy can attract the curious movie lover. A DVD zone world music.
Rating:
Summary: The movie of the Greatest album ever made
Review: I feel kinda sorry for anyone who doesn't get this. Stunning, unforgettable, music beyond compare. If you don't believe me, ask Keith Richards. Expensive DVD, though.
Rating:
Summary: Jimmy Cliff starts reggae career in The Harder They Come
Review: I first saw this movie about three years ago and it has affected me ever since. I had no idea who Jimmy Cliff was before I saw this movie and he is now my all-time favorite musician. Besides having a great soundtrack, this movie is amazing and seems to really capture what it must have been like to be an aspiring musician, like Jimmy Cliff, and make it big. I already own the video of The Harder They Come, and as soon as the DVD comes out I will get that as well. I can't wait. Dedicated to the Getto Youth Crew.
Rating:
Summary: Good Movie
Review: I have to confess, I bought this movie because I've owned the soundtrack for a few years. I'd have to say that the movie is a gem though. Gives you a different perspective on life. Don't usually get to see the seedier sides of life.
Rating: 
Summary: Can't Act
Review: I like the music but don't buy the movie because it sucks.
The movie sucks because of the actors. They don't now how too act.
There is not a lot of action in the movie.
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Jamaican Cult Classic!
Review: If there's one film that captures the pictorial, social and cultural essence of Jamaica and its people in one setting, then "The Harder They Come" is perhaps the ticket. Jimmy Cliff stars as a struggling musician, who goes from odd job to odd job on his way to the top in this 1972 cult classic. Aside from working his way up the nightclub circuit ladder, Ivan (Cliff) finds himself running afoul of the law in the process, an element which makes for an interesting storyline. The thick Jamaican accents make the film's storyline hard to follow in spots, although the lush Jamaican environs more than make up for the wonderfully garbled vocalization. Also, some of the "Americanizations" displayed in "The Harder They Come" provide an interesting backdrop for the hilly Jamaican terrain, such as the Shell gasoline billboard sign and Teem (remember that one?) and Pepsi-Cola beverages. It is these American items that add somewhat of a decorative touch to this insightful motion picture. Add to the cast of mostly unknowns (besides Jimmy Cliff), is the veteran Jamaican actor Winston Stona, whose appearance here is more of a cameo, playing a role as a detective. According to various (internet) sources, Stona's next major movie appearance wouldn't come until twenty years later, in a more major role in "Cool Runnings" (filmed in Jamaica as well). "The Harder They Come" would make Jimmy Cliff a household name in the annals of reggae music, alongside another reggae legend, the incomparable Bob Marley. Cliff's music, as featured in "THTC", carries with it such adaptive, effective lyrics and harmonies, both nicely illustrated in the title track and in "You Can Get It If You Really Want" - a selection which sums up Ivan's grit and determination in his desire to become a mega-superstar, proving that setting goals and striving to maintain them are what really count in life, if one is willing to persevere through difficult hardships. Although "The Harder They Come" is one stellar film that's definitely not to be missed, a perfect companion would be to add the soundtrack to this all-important purchase. But, it would be wise to purchase "THTC" today, as it is fast becoming one motion picture that will soon be hard to come by. These two above-mentioned items are the perfect compliment with a case of Red Stripe beer and some jerk chicken, so don't miss all the fun and excitement, or you'll be making one big "Jamaica Mistaica"!
Rating: 
Summary: decent film
Review: If you are into jamaican culture and reggae then you will might like the movie "The Harder They Come".
I myself am not into those things. The movie was ok for a low buget film. I only recomend this movie to those
who are interested in jamaican culture and reggae music.
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