Jeymes Samuel, a singer-songwriter also known as The Bullitts, makes his feature directorial debut with The Harder They Fall (Netflix), a Western with the time-honored staples–gunfights, a train robbery, saloons with character, and an eagerly anticipated marquee reckoning–but also major departures from the norm, breathing new life into the genre with an inspired atypical soundtrack, unique at times painterly visuals, and most notably putting Black protagonists front and center. The movie opens with a title card noting that it’s a fictional story but based on an overlooked reality. The supered message simply reads: “These. People. Existed.”
Jonathan Majors stars as Nat Love, a formidable gunslinger who seeks revenge for a horrific crime he suffered in childhood at the hands of Rufus Buck (Idris Elba). When Buck is released from prison, the countdown towards a showdown begins. Among those riding with Love to bring Buck to justice are Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beetz), Bill Picket (Edi Gathegi) and Jim Beckwourth (R.J. Cyler). They’re going up against Buck’s menacing crew which includes “Treacherous” Trudy Smith (Regina King) and Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield).
In this video, Samuel–who not only directed but also served as writer and composer on The Harder They Fall–shares insights into the audio for the breakthrough Western, along with supervising sound editor/sound designer Richard King and production sound mixer Anthony Ortiz.
King is a six-time Best Sound Editing Oscar nominee–winning four times as a team member on Master and Commander; The Far Side of the World in 2004, The Dark Knight in 2009, Inception in 2011 and Dunkirk in 2018. His other two Academy Award nominations were for War of the Worlds in 2006 and Interstellar in 2015.
King said of The Harder They Fall, “Every single shot has a sonic reason for being there.”
