The Harder They Come

1h 43min

Crime

Drama

Music

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.

Cast

Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff

Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin
Basil Keane

Basil Keane

Preacher
Winston Stona

Winston Stona

Detective Ray Jones
Volair Johnson

Volair Johnson

Pushcart Boy
Clover Lewis

Clover Lewis

Market Woman
Prince Buster

Prince Buster

DJ at Dance
Ed 'Bim' Lewis

Ed 'Bim' Lewis

Photographer
Ula Fraser

Ula Fraser

Elsa Friend
Carol Lawes

Carol Lawes

Elsa Friend
Franco Nero

Franco Nero

Django (archive footage)

Release date

1st Aug 1972

Status

Released

Spoken languages

English