The Harder They Come official wallpaper
The Harder They Come poster

The Harder They Come

  • 6.9 /10

  • 106

  • 91%

Plot

Ivanhoe Martin arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, looking for work and, after some initial struggles, lands a recording contract as a reggae singer. He records his first song, "The Harder They Come," but after a bitter dispute with a manipulative producer named Hilton, soon finds himself resorting to petty crime in order to pay the bills. He deals marijuana, kills some abusive cops and earns local folk hero status. Meanwhile, his record is topping the charts.

Cast

Jimmy Cliff as Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin
Jimmy Cliff

as Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin

Janet Bartley as Elsa
Janet Bartley

as Elsa

Carl Bradshaw as Jose
Carl Bradshaw

as Jose

Basil Keane as Preacher
Basil Keane

as Preacher

Bob Charlton as Hilton
Bob Charlton

as Hilton

Winston Stona as Detective Ray Jones
Winston Stona

as Detective Ray Jones

Lucia White as Mother
Lucia White

as Mother

Volair Johnson as Pushcart Boy
Volair Johnson

as Pushcart Boy

Beverly Anderson as Housewife
Beverly Anderson

as Housewife

Movie Facts

Rated

  • R

Status

  • Released

Release Date

  • September 1, 1972

Production Companies

  • International Films

Production Countries

  • Jamaica

Spoken Language

  • English

Budget

  • $0.00

Revenue

  • -

Runtime

  • 1.72 hrs

Links

Gallery

Reviews

Firstly, a quick shout out for the new Garden Cinema in Holborn, London where I saw this recently. A small cinema, but it's great to see a new venue opening so give it a go if you are nearby. To the film, well that sees Jimmy Cliff as "Ivan" - a would-be reggae singer who manages to get himself a record deal with a fairly unscrupulous local producer. The song does OK, but he gets a pretty measly …