History Film / TheHarderTheyFall2021

* RevengeByProxy: [[spoiler: The true reason that Rufus Buck killed Nat Love's family. Love's (and Buck's) father was cruelly abusive to the latter, killing his mother one day before abandoning the young Rufus in order to start a new life. Rufus got his vengeance in [[TheCorrupter corrupting]] the son that Buck Sr. actually loved, turning him into a [[StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred revenge-obsessed]] outlaw and ensuring that their father's crimes would follow him even in death.]]

** Subverted between [[spoiler: Cheerokee Bill and Beckwourth. The latter who expected an honorable duel only to be gunned down by Bill during the count.]]

* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler: Rufus eventually reveals in his backstory that his father was Nat's father, making them brothers. Naturally Nat is happy to hear this.]]

* RevengeByProxy: [[spoiler:The true reason that Rufus Buck killed Nat Love's family. Love's (and Buck's) father was cruelly abusive to the latter, killing his mother one day before abandoning the young Rufus in order to start a new life. Rufus got his vengeance in [[TheCorrupter corrupting]] the son that Buck Sr. actually loved, turning him into a [[StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred revenge-obsessed]] outlaw and ensuring that their father's crimes would follow him even in death.]]

-->'''Cherokee Bill''': Now I don't particularly enjoy violence. That being said, you are currently in the company of extremely violent individuals [Swigs some liquor] Ugh. Shit. So, don't do no stupid shit. All right?

* SequelHook: [[spoiler: While Nat plans to put his past behind him and gets on with his life with Mary and Cuffee joins Bass as his Deputy. The final shot of the movie is someone watching them ride off in the distance, implied to be Mary due to holding her signature bowler hat.]]

-> '''Cherokee Bill:''' Now let it be known that I don't particularly enjoy violence. That being said, you are currently in the company of extremely violent individuals.
\\

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Beckwourth has gotten ''real'' sick of hearing Cherokee Bill’s name every time he shows off his QuickDraw skills. He plans to seek him out to put the matter to bed for good.

* ApologeticAttacker: Cherokee Bill seems to lament the violence he partakes in and tries to talk people out of dying by his hand. It doesn’t stop him from killing them, though, often by employing dirty tricks.

* BankRobbery: The Crimson Hood Gang pulls one of these in the beginning. Nat’s gang happily takes the loot off their hands. Later, [[spoiler:Nat’s gang is forced to pull another bank robbery to pay off the “interest” on the stolen loot to Buck.]]

* BattleCouple: Despite Mary’s objection that they are going their separate ways after this, she and Nat obviously have something between them and they are remarkably in synch when they fight together.
* BlackAndGrayMorality: With the exception of maybe Reeves (he’s still pretty ruthless for a USMarshal and not opposed to bending the rules to get his man) everyone in both gangs is an outlaw for one reason or another. Nat has a reputation of only robbing other outlaws, but he makes no hesitations in killing.

* CarvedMark: After slaughtering his parents, Buck carves a cross into the young Nate’s forehead. Nate spends his life assuming it was so he would never forget Buck and what he did to him. [[spoiler:It turns out Buck did it for himself, so he would recognize Nate when he came for his revenge.]]

* CasualDangerDialog: Pickett and Beckwourth chit-chat and argue casually before they’ve actually dispatched all of the Crimson Hood Gang. They only interrupt their banter for Beckwourth to shoot a gun out of a survivor’s hand and scold him for making the attempt to get the jump on them while they seemed distracted.

* CurbStompBattle: Wiley Escoe gets in a good first hit on Buck, but that’s all he gets. Buck demolishes him with mostly direct hits to the face. He knocks out more than a few teeth and leaves Escoe writhing in pain in the dirt.
* CuteBruiser: Cuffee’s success as a bouncer relies in a combination of people underestimating them by their small stature (which usually gives them the element of surprise) and their amazingly fast fighting and gunslinging skills.

'''Trudy:''' We ain’t no nincompoop.

* DamselInDistress: Lampshaded. When Nat arrives to free Mary, Trudy taunts him, asking if he’s here for his damsel.

* DeliberatelyJumpingTheGun: It turns out Cherokee Bill’s reputation as a quick draw is in part due to his tendency not to wait for the count to finish.

* DesignatedBullet: Beckwourth has a round with Cherokee Bill’s name on it, which he loads in anticipation of their quickdraw showdown.

* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler: Why Buck hunted down Nat’s father. He was ''his father as well.'' He had disappeared after killing Buck’s mother in an alcoholic rage.]]

* TheDragon: Trudy to Buck. If you’re going to pick a fight with anyone in his gang, don’t pick her. She’ll shoot anyone dead for looking at her sideways.

* FakingTheDead: In the end [[spoiler: Pickett and Beckwourth of Love’s gang are buried with three graves: an empty one for Nat]]. When asked if the law will really believe that they are dead, Reeves responds that he ''is'' the law, and he says they are dead.

** When Beckwourth asks Cuffee if Cuffee has seen anyone faster than him, Cuffee replies “In the mirror.” [[spoiler: Cuffee later does outdraw Cherokee Bill, and tells him that Beckwourth was faster.]]

* GunsDoNotWorkThatWay: During the scene where Buck’s gang kills [[spoiler: the soldiers on the train]], we are treated to slow-motion view of [[SpentShellsShower the cartridges hitting the floor]]. This is unrealistic as all the shooters are using revolvers which retain spent shells until they are manually ejected (usually when reloading).

* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: Buck’s final plan for revenge hinges on this. [[spoiler: If he can goad his half brother, his father’s ''better'' son from his new, virtuous life, into killing him it will make Nat so much worse than Buck ever was. As he says, ''he'' couldn’t bring himself to kill his own brother. While Nat does kill him it isn't as he wanted and ultimately Nat moves on with his life away from outlawing regardless. Symbloized by having his makeshift gravestone bearing his name.]]

* NiceHat: Most of the cast sport Stetsons, but Mary’s top hat and Trudy’s bowler are standouts.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Cuffee is short, slender, and has extremely big and childlike eyes for [[{{Bouncer}} a club's bouncer.]] They’re often called a "boy" because of this, but they are [[TheNapoleon perfectly able to kick out unruly patrons]] and serve as Mary's NumberTwo when they go on Nat's quest for revenge. Not too much older, though: they’re still younger than Nat, and presumably Mary. [[spoiler: Their youthful looks are probably because Cuffee's biologically female.]]
* OpenSecret: [[spoiler: Cuffee’s]] biological sex as a woman. Beckwourth makes a huge deal when they strip to change into the dress provided for the heist. He’s quickly told he was the only one who hadn’t figured it out.

* PriceOnTheirHead: Nat tells the priest to turn in the body of the bandit that had been extorting his church to claim the $5,000 bounty on his head. When the incredulous priest asks why Nat doesn’t take the bounty for himself he smiles and wryly informs him that he is worth ''ten.''

* TrainJob: Buck’s gang is introduced as they pull a train job, only the bounty they are after is [[spoiler:Buck.]]
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Trudy recounts a childhood story of her meek sister and a bully who hit her with an apple and caused her to fall and break her ankle. Their father had beaten her for not protecting her sister properly, and then went to exact punishment on the bully. [[spoiler: He arrives to find that “someone” had slit the girl’s throat that evening]]. He’s so disturbed that Trudy is sent away to live with relatives.

* WhamShot: The final shot of the film [[spoiler: pans from our heroes riding off to new adventures to a feminine figure on a hill watching them go… with Trudy’s bowler hat in their hand.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Buck’s sudden need for cash was motivated by his need to save Redwood from white developers as the territory transitioned to statehood. [[spoiler: With the money blown up at the end and Buck and his crew (mostly) dead, the town seems to be left without any financial backers and in utter shambles from the showdown.]] The heroes simply ride off and never speak of the town again.

* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: The real-life Stagecoach Mary did not exactly look like a showgirl.

* AmbiguousGender: [[spoiler: Cuffee's preferred gender is left unclear. While biologically female, they don't specify what they identify as.]]

* LetsFightLikeGentleman:

** Played straight between Mary and Trudy in the climax. While both have their guns, they decide to put them aside and settle it in one on one brawl, using anything they can get their hands on in the surrounding area.

* LetsFightLetGentleman:

* DesignatedGirlFight: Mary and Trudy get into a brawl in the finale of the film. Though this is a grudge match as Trudy had tortured Mary while waiting on Nat's gang and she's itching to return the favor once she's freed from captivity.

* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: Buck’s final plan for revenge hinges on this. [[spoiler: If he can goad his half brother, his father’s ''better'' son from his new, virtuous life, into killing him it will make Nat so much worse than Buck ever was. As he says, ''he'' couldn’t bring himself to kill his own brother.]]

* TooDumbToLive: The train engineer stops the train because Trudy is sitting on a horse on the tracks, even though it's quite obvious that she's intending to rob the train. He's immediately shot in the ensuing robbery.

** TheDarkChick: Trudy, again, given she's the one that's [[VisionaryVillain the most Idealistic]] about their plans for Redwood (as opposed to the others who care more about power, safety, wealth, or reputation). [[spoiler:She's the only woman in the group, has a DesignatedGirlFight with Mary, and even ends up the SoleSurvivor of the [[MenAreTheExpendableGender gang]]]].

* AuthorAppeal: The film is a Revisionist Western starring an entirely black cast, featuring anachronistic an soundtrack by black artists. The co-writer and director, Jeymes Samuel, is a black recording artist.

* BadassBoast: Cuffee says that he's seen a faster draw than Jim "in the mirror." [[spoiler: Cuffee later shoots down Cherokee Bill.]]
** Bass Reeves gets one early in the film.
--> '''Reeves:''' Y'know, a lot are fixin' to kill me. They just all seem to die before it happens.

-->'''Beckwourth''': Hoo! Close shave! Close fuckin' shave. [Chuckling] I thought I was falling for a fella for a little bit. That's why I didn't say nothing. Well, I ain't the only one. I can't... I can't... It wa'n't just me! [Dead [[SeriousMode serious]]] It '''wasn't''' just me.\\

* FakingTheDead: In the end [[spoiler: two dead members of Love’s gang are buried with three graves: an empty one for Nat]]. When asked if the law will really believe that they are dead, Reeves responds that he ''is'' the law, and he says they are dead.

* AuthorAppeal: The film is a Revisionist Western starring an entirely black cast, featuring anachronistic soundtrack by black artists. The co-writer and director, Jeymes Samuel, is a black recording artist.

* AScarToRemember: After Buck killed Nat Love's parents, he carved a cross in the boy's forehead. In an interesting twist, Buck didn't make the scar so that Nat would remember him, but so that ''he'' would remember Nat when they next met.

* BasedOnATrueStory: Played with. Right off the bat the movie tells you the story is fictional, but makes a point of emphasizing that all the '''characters''' are [[HistoricalDomainCharacter based on real people]].

* ScopeSnipe: Pickett pulls one on an enemy sharpshooter shortly before [[NoMacGuffinNoWinner blowing up]] the money meant for the Buck gang at long-range.

--> "He was clean, sober. He had his own church, a pretty little wife... [[spoiler: and a ten-year-old son.]]"

Not to be confused with the [[Film/TheHarderTheyFall 1956 Humphrey Bogart film]].

* CurseCutShort: Trudy shoots a train engineer in the face as he starts to call her the N-word. All he gets out is the N.
--> '''Cherokee Bill:'''You know, he might coulda said nincompoop.\\
'''Trudy:'''We ain’t no nincompoop.

** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat_Love Nat Love]].
** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufus_Buck_Gang Rufus Buck and his Gang]].
** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Fields Stagecoach Mary]].
** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Beckwourth Jim Beckwourth]].
** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Pickett Bill Pickett]].
** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawford_Goldsby Cherokee Bill]].
** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_Reeves Bass Reeves]].
** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathay_Williams Cathay Williams]]. [[spoiler: Cuffee]]

-->'''Beckworth''': Hoo! Close shave! Close fuckin' shave. [Chuckling] I thought I was falling for a fella for a little bit. That's why I didn't say nothing. Well, I ain't the only one. I can't... I can't... It wa'n't just me! [Dead [[SeriousMode serious]]] It '''wasn't''' just me.\\

* VisionaryVillain: Buck built up Redwood to be a haven for black people to live under their own rule. His first act upon being freed is to hurry back to the town to check on it’s well-being and save it from destruction.

* VitriolicBestBuds: Beckworth and Pickett spend most of their time insulting or annoying each other, but Bill has a fair amount of BigBrotherInstinct for Jim [[spoiler:and loses it when he gets killed.]]

* YoungGun: Beckworth; although he has one of the fastest draws in the setting, he tends to care too much about getting the reputation and accolades of being the FastestGunInTheWest. Reeves, Cuffee, and Pickett all warn that focusing on flashy tricks and looking cool are going to be the death of him. [[spoiler:They're proven right when Jim challenges [[CombatPragmatist Cherokee Bill]] to a duel; the latter cares way more about not dying than being the best, so he has no problem shooting first.]]

* RevengeByProxy: [[spoiler:The true reason that Rufus Buck killed Nat Love's family. Love's (and Buck's) father was cruelly abusive to the latter, killing his mother one day before abandoning the young Rufus for dead to start a new life. Rufus got his vengeance in [[TheCorrupter corrupting]] the son that Buck Sr. actually loved, turning him into a [[StrikeMeDownWithAllOfYourHatred revenge-obsessed]] outlaw and ensuring that their father's crimes would follow him even in death.]]

* TheNapoleon: Cuffee is the shortest member of the cast and very slender as well, but serves as Stagecoach Mary's bouncer and [[QuickDraw is fast with a gun.]] [[spoiler: Faster than Cherokee Bill.]]

* NoHoldsBarredContest: Trudy and Mary's fight, involving everything from knives to biting to throwing fabric at each other. [[spoiler:Mary wins]].

* OlderThanTheyLook: Cuffee is short, slender, and has extremely big and childlike eyes for [[{{Bouncer}} a club's bouncer.]] They’re often called a "boy" because of this, but they are [[TheNapoleon perfectly able to kick out unruly patrons]] and serve as Mary's NumberTwo when they go on Nat's quest for revenge. Not too much older, though: they’re still younger than Nat, and presumably Mary.