How ‘Harder They Fall’ was rolling along until Murphy’s law went into overdrive

“On the surface, “The Harder They Fall” is a revenge story, a man hunting down the killer of his parents. It’s a love story about two men caught in a never-ending cycle of violence because of their loss,” says writer-director Jeymes Samuel of the Netflix film. When I embarked on making “The Harder They Fall” as my feature film debut, I had a strong idea of the joyous but tumultuous journey that lay ahead, because close to 10 years ago I wrote and directed a 51-minute western short film, “They Die By Dawn.” That was a proof of concept, almost a practice run. Jonathan Majors as Nat Love in Jeymes Samuel’s “The Harder They Fall.” On the surface, “The Harder They Fall” is a revenge story, a man hunting down the killer of his parents. Jay and JL called me in London and said, “We have a meeting set up at Netflix, and they will be the ideal home for the movie.” I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, after 10 years of hard grind … things just got mad real, mad fast!” Regina King, Idris Elba, and Lakeith Stanfield in “The Harder They Fall.” Then it was about assembling the rest of the cast.