With a piece in his hand, he takes on the man!

The epochal cultural moment that first brought reggae to the international stage, made Jimmy Cliff a star — and demonstrated how music can change the world.

Fifty years on, THE HARDER THEY COME is still electric with the feeling of discovery.  This SCARFACE-y blend of crime drama and musical tracks Cliff’s country-boy-in-search-of-fame through Jamaica under the guises of laborer, recording artist, convict, ganja dealer, and outlaw folk hero.

Before THE HARDER THEY COME, the collective perception of a “foreign film” was limited to the Bergmans and the Kurosawas of the world. This game-changer forever blew those doors off — and it still hasn’t lost a drop of its cool, its edge, or its way of making you dance.

Freshly arrived in Kingston, Jamaica, Ivanhoe Martin (Cliff) find himself 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 (Bob Charlton), 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. With Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw.

“An epic character arc, wall-to-wall reggae standards and a suitably strutting turn from star Jimmy Cliff are the hallmarks of this Jamaican crime classic.” (Times UK)

“‘The Harder They Come’ is always exuberant, and sometimes strong, as casually surprising and effortlessly sinister as the blade sliding out of a gravity knife.” (TIME Magazine)

“The reggae soundtrack throbs and crunches and shudders in concert with the raw energy of Henzell’s storytelling and Cliff’s performance, but this doesn’t preclude a shrewdly self-aware debate about representation.” (Guardian)

“The definitive postcolonial cult-movie musical.” (Village Voice)

Wednesday, September 7 Encore Screening
Doors 8:15 pm | Movie 8:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Advance tickets HERE

*Minors permitted. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service. Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK for any single film screening only. Please redeem at the box office.
*Online ticket sales and an hour before showtime. Unless otherwise noted, ticket are available for purchase at the door.
*If you are looking to redeem your tickets to either a canceled Rio Theatre screening or a Rio Theatre gift certificate, please email <[email protected]> with info including your name, canceled receipt number, gift certificate info, what you are wanting to see and when, and we can make the switch for you in advance. Alternately, you can bring this information with you to the venue, and we will do our best to help you at the box office.

THE HARDER THEY COME (Perry Henzell, 1972 / 103 mins / 18A) Wishing to become a successful Reggae singer, a young Jamaican man finds himself tied to corrupt record producers and drug pushers.