The Harder They Come

Jimmy Cliff stars in this musical drama about a country boy who learns that love and fame are not so easily obtained.

  • Director

    Perry Henzell

  • With

    Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw

  • Jamaica 1972. 103min

  • Digital

  • Certificate

    15

Perry Henzell’s musical drama was Jamaica’s first feature film and is based on the life of a real-life criminal. It stars Jimmy Cliff as a country boy who moves to Kingston to find fame as a reggae singer, but soon confronts trouble. The film was so successful that the black urban crime thriller, drawing heavily on Western elements, became the most popular genre for Jamaican and Jamaican-diasporic filmmakers.