With a Piece in His Hand He Takes on the Man!
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.
The Harder They Come (1972) is a crime, drama and music film directed by Perry Henzell, released on August 1, 1972 with a runtime of 1h 43m. It stars Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw and Ras Daniel Hartman. Viewers rate it 6.6 out of 10 across 127 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Harder They Come before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for The Harder They Come.
Trailer
Teaser
Jimmy Cliff
as Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin
Janet Bartley
as Elsa
Carl Bradshaw
as Jose
Ras Daniel Hartman
as Pedro
Basil Keane
as Preacher
Bob Charlton
as Hilton
Winston Stona
as Detective Ray Jones
Lucia White
as Mother
Volair Johnson
as Pushcart Boy
Beverly Anderson
as Housewife
Clover Lewis
as Market Woman
Elijah Chambers
as Longa
Directed by Perry Henzell, written by Perry Henzell and Trevor D. Rhone, produced by Perry Henzell and Jeff Scheftel.
Average viewer score of 6.6/10 from 127 ratings.
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 share. Frustrated -…
Reviewed on September 3, 2022
<em>'The Harder They Come'</em> is entertaining crime flick fare. Jimmy Cliff brings a solid lead performance and some excellent music, which is certainly this film's strongest element; the eponymous track and "Sweet And Dandy" being my personal picks. The other cast members play their respective parts well. I've not got much more to note. Good music, enjoyable plot and sturdy messaging. What else is needed? 8/10,…
Reviewed on August 19, 2025
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The Harder They Come (1972) is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Criterion Channel, Fandor, Amazon Prime Video with Ads and Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of The Harder They Come (1972) includes Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw, Ras Daniel Hartman and Basil Keane. The film was directed by Perry Henzell. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Harder They Come was released on August 1, 1972 and runs for 1h 43m.
The Harder They Come (1972) holds an average rating of 6.6 out of 10 from 127 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy crime, drama and music films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Harder They Come trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
