Not reviewed at press time. It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since Jimmy Cliff blazed his way into cinematic legend in The Harder They Come. It’s a showbiz story, Jamaica shantytown style; it’s a rebel-boy story, reggae style; it’s an eternal story about a country boy on his way to doom in Babylon. The Harder They Come is the movie that popularized reggae music in America, and the film’s score – with classics such as “Many Rivers to Cross” and “You Can Get It if You Really Want” – is still one of the great movie soundtracks of all time. And the movie’s critiques of the music industry, the ganja trade, and organized religion still ring true. Director and co-writer Perry Henzell is currently working on a The Harder They Come sequel and has also recently authored a novel titled Power Game, which is described as a Caribbean political thriller.
This article appears in September 26 • 1997 (Cover).
