It's just a concentrated mirror of our skewed historical presence throughout all 12 months of the year. So Black History Month becomes a paean to revisionist forgetfulness. But they are part of our history - the part we foolishly agree to ignore because it does not fit the normative view of who we ought to be. the Rufus Buck gang were neither saints, nor victims. They also shed a rare light on the multiracial old west of the Indian Territories. They marked the end of the era of the great western outlaws, like Cherokee Bill, half-black and half-Indian himself. Their execution marked the end of the judicial tyranny of Judge Isaac Parker, the "hanging judge" of legend. Their 13-day reign of terror is historically fascinating in that it marked the end of the Indian Territory, soon swallowed whole by the land-hungry United States. The Rufus Buck gang were childish and vicious, innocent in their naivete and brutal in their outlook. His dream was impossible and he used the same violence to achieve it that he saw all around him. He was a young man who, near the turn of the century, formed a multi-racial teenaged gang in Indian Territories to wrest the land back from encroaching whites. Before The Harder They Fall, Wayans starred in New Girl as Coach, Brad Williams in Happy Endings, and the film Let’s Be Cops.No. as Monroe Grimes: The leader of the Crimson Hood Gang that Jim and Pickett rob. Cyler previously starred in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Power Rangers, MTV’s Scream, and I’m Dying Up Here.ĭeon Cole as Wiley Escoe: The Rufus Buck gang member who has been running Redwood City and betrayed Rufus during his imprisonment. Cole is best known for his recurring role on episodes of Black-ish and Grown-ish as Charlie Telphy as well as comedic characters on Conan, Angie Tribeca, and the Barbershop film series.ĭamon Wayans, Jr. RJ Cyler as Jim Beckwourth: The Nat Love gang’s youngest outlaw who seeks to prove himself as a talented quickdraw shooter against Cherokee Bill. Gathegi notably played Laurent in the Twilight films, Darwin in X-Men: First Class, Matias in The Blacklist, Ronald Dacey on StartUp, and Dr.
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Related: Netflix: Every Movie & TV Show Releasing In November 2021Įdi Gathegi as Bill Pickett: The Nat Love gang’s talented sharpshooter who typically robs other gangs with young outlaw Jim.
He has also starred in films and TV shows like Get Shorty, The Cider House Rules, and The Good Fight. Lindo is well-known for his movie collaborations with director Spike Lee, including roles in Malcolm X, Crooklyn, Clockers, and Da 5 Bloods. marshal who assists the Nat Love gang in bringing Rufus Buck to justice. Jonathan Majors As Nat Loveĭelroy Lindo as Bass Reeves: The deputy U.S. Here’s a breakdown of The Harder They Fall’s cast and their corresponding characters. Among The Harder They Fall’s core real-life figures are four Emmy-nominated actors, one Oscar winner, and one Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee. The actors recruited for the film include some of the most iconic Black creatives and movie stars of today, including a record-setting female director as one of the main outlaws. Related: Bruce Lee's One Western Role Explained (& How It Was Different)Īnother important aspect of The Harder They Fall is the incredible star power that brings these historical figures to life. The Harder They Fall is far more important to the future of what movies are being made and how, as the action is told from a Black director and all-Black cast depicting the forgotten true stories of Black historical figures in the Old West. Many compared The Harder They Fall to Tarantino's Django Unchained upon its release, though the only core connection is depicting Black people as cowboys in the mid-1800s. What makes The Harder They Fall so incredible is that it isn’t revisionist history, it’s based on real people in the American Old West with fictionalized events that are still inspired by their real stories. While reuniting his gang, Nat comes face-to-face with one of the most notorious groups of outlaws in their area, led by his life-long rival Rufus Buck. The movie documents the crimes and rivalries of notable gangs in 19th-century Texas, with Nat Love serving as the protagonist outlaw who only robs from other outlaws. The true story of Netflix's The Harder They Fall follows the Nat Love gang as they seek out revenge on the man that murdered Nat’s parents as a child. Jeymes Samuel’s The Harder They Fall tackles Old West outlaws seeking revenge for past crimes, supported by an all-star predominantly Black cast bringing the real-life characters to the screen.