The Harder They Come has more guts, wit, humor and sheer exuberance than most movies you'll see in any one year of moviegoing."
- Vincent Canby, The New York Times

"...crude but sensual Jamaican film...The film, directed by Perry Henzell, is feverish and haphazard, but the music redeems much of it, and the rhythmic swing of the Jamaican speech is hypnotic."
- Pauline Kael, 5001 Nights at the Movies

"...an extraordinary movie. Few others succeed as it does in using the film mode to clarify rather than mystify the workings of oppression... The Harder They Come is a committed and genuinely progressive film of artistic and ideological integrity."
- Julianne Burton, Jump Cut

"...hard-hitting, crudely made, angry left-wing polemic, with a spectacular reggae soundtrack... See the movie-buy the album!"
- Danny Peary Guide for the Film Fanatic

"A cautionary gangster flick, a crude musical and a rags-to-riches yarn rolled into one, The Harder They Come is director Perry Henzell's 1972 vision of emerging Jamaican identity."
- James Sullivan, San Francisco Chronicle

"...a midnight movie cult favorite..."
- Michael J. Weldon, The Psychotronic Video Guide

"The largely amateur cast of black performers and their producer-director may be involved in basically simple action fare in The Harder They Come but they also leave a slightly disturbing, documentary impression of the darker side of the sunny Jamaica."
- A. H. Weiler, The New York Times

"As a movie, sadly, it's pretty poor -- a mishmash of urban warfare and Rasta opera... director Perry Henzell spent what money he had on all the wrong things."
- Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

"Famous for its groovy soundtrack, The Harder They Come is certainly no musical. It's an unvarnished snapshot of life in Jamaica... All in all, (it) isn't just a film, it's an experience."
- Mick Sleeper, Images Journal

"The film's tone is righteously angry, but it doesn't go for the easy targets: it views Cliff's image of himself as a hero as ironically as it denounces police violence and missionary-style religion. Along the way, it offers a richly textured picture of Jamaican shanty-town life, composed with a terrific eye for detail."
Time Out London

"The Harder They Come doesn't have an amazing screenplay, but it floats by on the strength of its other qualities. Almost the entire film is handheld, giving it a documentary feel, which in a way, it is."
- Matthew Dessem, The House Next Door

"The movie ends in a sort of Duel in the Sun [1946] showdown that leaves us unsatisfied. Somehow, the opening 45 minutes had prepared us for more. The tender early love scenes, for example, between Cliff and his shy girl friend... don't fit the cynicism of the last hour. The characters aren't consistent, and Cliff eventually becomes so unbelievable that we just stop caring. The movie's ending is an exercise in plot; its beginning and its music deserve better than that."
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

"...one of the great college town hits of its era."
- Michael Sragow, Salon.com

"The shooting style is rough and real, but the story is complex and the characters, most of whom aren't professional actors, are all well portrayed. As a gangster film, it succeeds admirably, with many brutally violent sequences. The intoxicating reggae soundtrack is infectious, and the film features actual studio performances by Cliff as well as Toots and the Maytals. I was also surprised to see a clip from one of my most recently discovered and now favorite westerns, Django [1966], which plays a pivotal role in the film. Overall a unique and rewarding experience, The Harder They Come is also noteworthy as being the first real portrayal of a Rastafarian on screen, in the form of Ras Daniel Hartman who plays Ivan's friend Pedro."
- Jeff Ulmer, Digitally Obsessed

Compiled by Richard Harland Smith