Directed by London-born Jeymes Samuel, the movie with an all-black cast and strong female characters was always going to be unique, but the experience was also shaped by Covid
From John Wayne’s toe-to-heel walk to Clint Eastwood’s trademark squint, the western has been a cultural touchstone of the US, embodying the spirit, struggle and moral dilemma of the new frontier.
For debut film director Jeymes Samuel, whose new western The Harder They Fall premieres at the BFI London film festival on Wednesday night, that frontier was artistic and societal as much as it was physical.