The Harder They Fall Director Jeymes Samuel on the Big 3rd Act Shootout

He also talks about some of the challenges he had to overcome in the editing room.

With The Harder They Fall now streaming on Netflix, I recently spoke to writer-director Jeymes Samuel about making the revenge-soaked Western. During the interview, Samuel talked about what it was like filming the 3rd act shootout, his favorite westerns, what were some of the big things he learned about the old west when researching the film, the challenges he had to overcome in the editing room, what he learned making They Die by Dawn that helped him with the feature, and more.

If you haven’t seen the trailers, the all-Black Western follows outlaw Nat Love (Jonathan Majors), who rounds up his old gang to help him seek revenge when he discovers that the man (Idris Elba) who killed his parents two decades ago, is being released from prison. What’s cool and unique about the film is Samuel has gathered real people (like Rufus Buck, Cherokee Bill, Stagecoach Mary, and Jim Beckwourth) who lived in different times in the 19th century and brought them all together to tell his story. In addition, he got Shawn Carter, aka JAY-Z, and James Lassiter to produce the fantastic soundtrack. Trust me, you haven’t seen a Western like this before. The Harder They Fall also stars Zazie Beetz, Delroy Lindo, LaKeith Stanfield, Damon Wayans Jr., and others.

RELATED: Idris Elba and Regina King on ‘The Harder They Fall’ and Why They Loved Making a Black Western with Director Jeymes Samuel

Watch what Jeymes Samuel had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.

Jeymes Samuel

• What are the westerns he would take with him if he was trapped somewhere?
• What were some of the big surprises he learned about the old west when researching the project that he wanted to make sure were in the film?
• What did he learn making They Die by Dawn that helped him with the feature?
• What was it like writing and filming the 3rd act shootout?
• What were some of the challenges he had to overcome in the editing room?

‘The Harder They Fall’ Trailer Unloads a Stagecoach Full of Stars Into a Dynamic Western

The film is co-produced by Jay-Z and former Quentin Tarantino collaborator Lawrence Bender.

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