Obviously, I was gonna watch The Harder They Fall. Netflix makes a new western and I’m there to watch every time. I don’t even care who’s starring, since pretty much all the westerns Netflix have made to date have been rather good and rewatchable. So I grabbed a big bowl of cowboy food (an obvious choice), got comfy, and prepared to watch.
The Harder They Fall
An outlaw vs a crime boss, in a western. Well, it’s not a new story -bad guy sets out to take revenge on the recently-released-from-prison crime boss who killed his family. Except there’s hosses, and pew-pews and chew-chews. So here’s how it goes down (spoilers ahead), the crime bosses friends break him out of a cell on a steam train, the outlaw gathers his friends to hunt him down and get his revenge, there’s a few stand-offs, an overly clear imbalance of power, and some awesome costumes.
Starring Regina King (Watchmen, Amerian Crime), Edi Gathegi (The Blacklist, Startup), RJ Cyler (Black Lightning, Scream: The TV Series), Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2, Joker), Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country, Hostiles), and of course, Idris Elba (The Suicide Squad, The Dark Tower).
Review Conclusion
I’d probably watch it again: I have to say this is not one of my favourite westerns, it’s watchable, there are some amazing outfits, music and scenes, but I didn’t think it was anything special. Loved the mostly black cast but felt the story wasn’t quite complex enough to really draw me in. It was good but could have been more.
As for the Cowboy Food
It was pretty good.
For those who don’t know: brown some mince, fry some onions, shove ’em in a slow cooker or casserole pot, add 2/3 tins of beans (I use Pinto and Kidney) -lentils work well too, add peas and sweetcorn or mixed peppers, get yourself a casserole mix or other made for minced meat mix (but not a burger mix, trust me, that doesn’t work) -I like to use the mixes for tacos, lime and chilli is particularly good. Add about 400mls beef stock and cook it for six hours. Nope, it’s not a fast dish but it will serve four to six people or you can portion it up and freeze the rest for later.
I like to add grated cheese and mayo, a little salad is also good, or you could eat it on a baked potato. It is great for the darker evenings when you get in from work and want something quick. I believe some people call this batch cooking, I call it sensible.
Then for afters, a nice personal sized apple crumble is great. And if you’re feeling fancy, add a scoop of ice cream or a dash of cream.
I’d have added a picture here but there’s no need for a pic of my tea balanced on my knee.
Horror and Fantasy Author – Also writing as K.T. McQueen. Love Western Horror, cowboy boots, my cactus Collin, & my Demon Cat.
Moths – I hate moths, the way they flutter at your face!
