The Harder They Come (1972)
The boyz discuss The Harder They Come.
Comments (51)
Incredible movie. If ever the Ferrara quote about how every feature film is a documentary of its time/place was applicable, this is it. And even if you're not vibing with it, you can appreciate it as a unique socio-cultural object, if nothing else. I love it though. This was of course massive among reggae/dub fans when I was growing up, first saw it on a shitty VHS in my youth and it was a thrill revisiting it now. I was never as into the Jamaican scene as some of my friends but the film's influence made its way into music I was into in the late 80s and early 90s, hip hop obviously but especially early jungle and ragga -- the evolution of Jamaican music via UK soundsystems to breakbeat and jungle was incredibly important to me -- I must have heard the last couple of lines, "Who's the bad man? Who can draw?" etc, on dozens of recordings way before I even watched the film.
Yeah we call it bar billiards in Uk. Fun game
Hey I have a Heat T-shirt and I’m normal.
does anybody remember that Hollywood handbook pro version they were on where it was like a radio play where they they were all on a raft attached to a cruise ship where they were going to preform a comedy routine about a guy running a candy shop
you guys listened to/read annie jacobsen’s new biological war book? I did’t realize it was even coming out. So far it rules.
Good Cyboman calback
Ummmm how can I hear the hip hop song Gabrus recorded with his friends
Rippin and a tear in
Wonderful stuff, boys. I watched this first week of college and didn't take away much, but loved the soundtrack. Glad I rewatched - had no idea Ivanhoe was a real fugitive. Kinda makes this movie seem like Ray and Scarface had a kid, throw in some GTA at the end there. I'm loving it.
Gotta say, as a guy that has gone by Boogie for over 20 years, funny to hear it get discussed this much.
You pick your nose a lot?
Bout to cancel my sub over Gabrus saying "vinyls". Smh.
"Pieces of Voinyl"
Never saw this before but I loved it, and you guys also got me listening to classic 1st wave ska in a good long while. 🙂
Loved the Alton Ellis shout out! He is mostly known for doing rocksteady though he also dabbled in ska (which a lot of people dont know was a precursor to reggae) and other similar genres. I love his cover of Whiter Shade Of Pale. This soundtrack is an all-time great.
Enjoyed this movie but I still have those damn songs in my head three days later
Kinda rare for a movie to be a total slog and also really fun. After about an hour and a half I was dying for this one to wrap up.
Gabrus was so right about Cuban doctors being in need in the late 60s and early 70s. My late father was a doctor in Cuba and he deported to Louisville, Kentucky in 1968 and got a job at Saint Anthony’s Hospital after he had to retake the medical exams in English. But his medical school created some super smart doctors. One night in 1965 at a Havana Hospital, Che Guevara and a few of his guys brought in Che’s mom to the hospital. He started waving a gun around at the staff demanding they take care of his mom ASAP. My dad always joked that he wish he got shot because he was so fucking tired.
RIP St Anthony’s 1902-1995. Now it’s a Kindred acute care facility. Used to date a girl that lived right by there…good times.
I’m surprised Gabrus didn’t bring up the bong they were using in that one scene. I’m a weed buff and I’ve never seen one like that at that time. Especially haven’t seen Jamaicans smoking out of one
Why so short
Is this a record for shortest main feed episode?
If anyone likes this movie, don’t be shy to check out Rockers! Set in Jamaica, same era, amazing soundtrack.
I bought the fantastic soundtrack for this in Tower Records back in the day and I had the pleasure of seeing Jimmy Cliff perform back in 2011. A tremendous musician and a righteous dude.
Re: kids smoking weed, I’m 30 but my lil bros are in high school. They are definitely way less into getting high and drunk than I was but also I may have just been a bit more naturally degenerate lol. They definitely have friends who smoke a lot though, and now with pens they’re smoking like all the time, as kids who I went to School with probably would have if they could. What’s so huge now tho is nicotine vapes, every kid is doing that shit
Yeah I was going to say the thing for kids right now (that I've heard of from a friend who has a teenage son and also a pre-teen son) is that vaping is huge and zyns are huge too since both allow you to do things pretty quietly/sneakily.
I always let out a sad little sigh when discussions about culturally significant sex tapes gloss over Tom Seizmore as if he doesn’t matter 😔
Not related but I just watched The Boxer’s Omen, an awesome Hong Kong Horror action black magic film that had the villain from Blood Sport in it, I recognized his buff bod instantly
Bubba The Love Sponge
Was screaming this at my phone on a crowded sidewalk
Ray J fought this weekend in a celebrity boxing match. He fought Orlando Brown who played the little kid in, Major Payne
One of the greatest VHS covers for a kid to stare at in the store and wonder what is this movie?!?
This and “Inside Seka”
Crazy bio on Leslie Kong, the Chinese-Jamaican recording engineer in the movie, who played a key role in early reggae: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Kong “Kong's plans to release a compilation album of tracks from the singles he produced by the Wailers led to Bunny Wailer allegedly threatening Kong with a curse, telling him that if he issued the record he would die. Kong went ahead with the release in 1970, and died of a heart attack, aged 37, in August 1971.”
Wow great find. He certainly aged a lot since his wiki head shot. Since he died in 71, and the movie released in 72, he likely didn't have a lot of time left in the movie footage. RIP
I hope that they do the other Jimmy Cliff movie, Club Paradise, for Shadow Wolves -- It's got Robin Williams, Peter Otoole, Andrea Martin, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, directed by Harold Ramis!
Underrated classic! “Those two girls said that you two weren’t fit to sleep with pigs. But I stood up for you. I said you were.” “ALRIGHT!”
Yes Gabrus I still listen, and it was great to meet you in Barcelona. Ochi and Montego Bay are good if u want a bit of everything eg beaches, clubs, tourist life. Kingston is good if you want sightseeing and history and clubs. But less beaches there. Jamaica would love the three of you.
Zombie Squad over here. Hot take…Greyhound owns bones 🦴
my dad has been trying to get me to watch it with him for years now and I finally ran out of excuses last month and we put it on and yeah, probably 15 minutes in I had to be like damn old man I owe you an apology, this is actually really good.
Episodes getting shorter 🥲
Bet they recorded this and last week's on the same day. It's alright what're they gonna talk about, the same song 7 times in a row on this movie?
Fuck yeah!
When Gabrus called Greyhound “Dad Bait”, it reminded me of when a friend described the show Yellowstone as “boomer catnip”. I find both phrases highly accurate and super funny.
Sometimes I wonder if The Boyz have ever read the 1972 classic books Four Bored (Very Bored) Housewives or The Many Faces of Philbert Foxhunt written and illustrated by Von Thrubble.
The boyz should do a show at Hedonism II
ABZ is a love letter to “tha rippin and tha tearin”
Easily has one of the best soundtracks ever!
100%
This is one of the best movies the Action Boyz have covered. Plus, it’s Chet Hanks’s favorite movie. “Big up! Big up.” https://youtube.com/shorts/JeIAQBTAw5A?is=-kMRuUPLqqq-3I6o 😆
I feel as if Adrian Brody isn’t getting equal representation.