The corpse of the western has been resuscitated in umpteen cinematic attempts in the decades since its fading from popular culture, but the rare case for not leaving the dead to rest in peace arrives in the debut feature from Jeymes Samuel, The Harder They Fall. The title may be overly vague and the film may exist in the genre most ridden with lazy cliches, but neither foretell the film’s distinct delights. Pushing the pulpiest benchmarks of genre toward ultra modern pop ebullience, Samuel sculpts a tale of crime and virtue to attempt to make us see the western in new light. While that may not be entirely achieved, he still thrills us in the meantime.
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