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The Harder They Fall More at IMDbPro »

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26 out of 39 people found the following review useful:
Although Ill, Bogey Could Still Carry A Film, 30 September 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from United States

This was an interesting story but not always enjoyable to watch, simply because it's a real downer in spots, and seeing an ill Humphrey Bogart was sad.

Bogart, as "Eddie Willis," plays a decent guy who knows he's doing the wrong thing so he's ornery for most of the film. His conscience is getting the best of him. Not many others in here are happy, either, for that matter, in this tale of crooked boxing. Boy, filmmakers in the '40s and '50s loved making crooked boxing stories.

What's also different about this is the featured boxer: a 6-foot-8 Argentinian import named "Toro Moreno" (Mike Lane), a stiff who is being groomed for the heavyweight championship via a series of fixed fights, led by the crooked promoter played by Rod Steiger.

Along the way, it was interesting to see real-life fighters Max Baer and Jersey Joe Walcott.

Bogart died a little a little over a year after making this film. He looked haggard, which is understandable, but he still did his normal excellent job of acting and keeping the story interesting. Like him or not, Bogart always got your interest. He, along with James Cagney, were the best at dominating a film.

A decent boxing film, but nothing spectacular, to be honest. There are many, many better boxing movies, but this is still worth watching.

21 out of 31 people found the following review useful:
Ringside seat for the match, 9 January 2006

Author: jotix100 from New York

"The Harder They Fall", based on the brutally real novel by Budd Schulberg, presents us with an aspect of the boxing world that no one talked about in those days. The sport was dominated by the racket men that made tremendous profits at the expense of the young pugilists that came from poor backgrounds.

Mark Robson, the director, was a man that understood that underworld well. He had already directed the excellent "Champion", so he proved to be a natural for taking the helm of this movie. Mr. Robson, worked as an editor for Orson Welles and knew what worked in the cinema. Working with the cinematographer Burnett Guffey, a man who was one of the best in the business, Mr. Robson created a film that was a ground breaker. New York City in the fifties is the background for the story that was shot in real exteriors that added a drama to the film.

This was the last film in which Humphrey Bogart made. In fact, Mr. Bogart shows signs of the illness that would take his life after the film was completed. Humphrey Bogart's Eddie Willis is a man that clearly wants to be fair to the poor boxer, Toro, from Argentina, who is being manipulated by the bad guys under the evil Benko. This was one of the best appearances of Mr. Bogarts in the movies.

The other surprise in the film is the portrayal by Rod Steiger of the mob man that wants to use Toro for his own illegal gains. Rod Steiger stood in sharp contrast with Humphrey Bogart. Being a method actor, his technique was entirely different from the one of his co-star. Yet, when both men are seen on the same frame, one can sense two great actors doing what they did best.

The interesting cast put together for the film made it better than it could have been. Under Mark Robson's direction we see a lot of New York based actors in the background. One would have liked to see more of Jan Sterling, who plays Eddie's understanding wife Beth. Also in the cast, Nhemiah Persoff, Jack Albertson, Max Baer, Jersey Joe Walcott, Mike Lane, Carlos Montalban, make good contributions to the film.

The boxing sequences are masterfully staged by Mr. Robson, who gives us a ringside seat to watch the matches. This film shows the director at the top of his craft.

20 out of 31 people found the following review useful:
A Satisfying Conclusion to Humphrey Bogart's Career, 11 May 2005

Author: JAtheDJ from Alexandria, Virginia

The seamy side of the boxing world is the subject of this interesting film. A third-rate amateur boxer (Mike Lane) is brought from South America to New York and exploited by a corrupt promoter (Rod Steiger).

Steiger hires out-of-work columnist Bogart as a press agent for a big publicity build-up, fixing fights across the country and making a profit for Steiger and his "boxing club." The name of the game is money, and Bogart struggles with his conscience, ethics and the disapproval of his wife (Jan Sterling) as he promotes the young fighter, who is duped into thinking he is invincible.

Eventually, the fighter faces the match that can't be fixed in New York with (real-life) boxing champ Max Baer. Lane is told about the previous fixed fights and knows he'll be decimated, but decides to fight Baer anyway to save face. Out of guilt and in sympathy, Bogart gives Lane his share of the purse (after he finds out that Lane has been fleeced out of his winnings), then puts him on a plane back to South America.

Sadly, Bogart was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus during filming; reportedly, some of his lines had to be dubbed by others in post-production.

Despite his illness, he gave an impressive performance, together with some wonderful character actors such as Edward Andrews, Nehemiah Persoff and Herbie Faye.

Rod Steiger's versatility is well demonstrated here, as his role as the corrupt promoter sharply contrasts the gentle soul he portrayed in the TV version of "Marty" two years earlier.

The fight scenes with Max Baer are also very well done, and the on-location shots of 1955 Manhattan and downtown Chicago add stark realism.

The Harder They Fall is a film definitely worth viewing.

20 out of 31 people found the following review useful:
Outstanding, 29 June 2004

Author: Joseph Clark (jjclark611@aol.com) from Buffalo, NY

Bogart is excellent as usual in this his last performance. There are times when his eyes are puddled up and it really makes you wonder: was he in pain or really that good? My answer is "yes" to both questions. Cancer would claim him within 15 months of this movie. He has a look of weariness here and it fits the character well. A first rate ending to a distinguished career. This movie is a perfect timecapsule for the 1950's and one of the better boxing movies of the period (Check out Body and Soul also). Although the ending seems a bit too convenient the performances are all first rate and this is worth a rental or purchase if you love Bogie.

11 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
"He didn't have 5 guys in the ring with him.", 13 October 2007
Author: eadoe from United States

I just saw this film and now realize that Sly Stallone must have watched it about a hundred times before staging the fight scenes in Rocky – he even recreated the subtle touch when Toro's coach cuts his eyelid in the fight to release the built-up blood (except in this film, you only see him go for the eye with a scalpel but don't see him actually cut it as you do in Rocky). The final fight at the end of this movie is THE most gruesome fight ever filmed. Stallone tried to capture this in Rocky, but it has nowhere NEAR the realism of the fight in The Harder They Fall. This is partly because it is shot in black and white, which for some reason makes everything seem more gruesome than color; partly because of the foggy, staggering way it is shot, as if you are seeing the punches through the groggy boxer's eyes; and partly because the actor who played Toro was not a star like Stallone or DeNiro in Raging Bull – they could make him look like a true wreck, a distorted, disfigured wreck – without fear of diminishing his "star" quality handsomeness.

My favorite line in this movie is when Bogart angrily asks Steiger how he'd like to have his jaw broken like Toro's. Steiger's henchmen immediately start to converge on Bogart, who says, "He didn't have 5 guys in the ring with him." It's a great line that brings home how the powerful are protected from the very pain they inflict on others.

The movie's title, from the old saying, "the bigger they are, the harder they fall," is also very ironic, because the "big" guys – Steiger and the corrupt fight backers – actually never "fall" – it is only the "little" guys, like Toro, who fall the hardest.

By the way, it was really spooky seeing Max Baer himself re-create his historic fight with Primo Carnera in this film, which is based on Max Baer's historic fight with Primo Carnera! You can see a film of this 1934 fight online, in which Baer knocks Carnera down 11 times in 11 rounds. By round 2, Baer was actually chasing Carnera around the ring, and at least 3 times he knocked him down so hard that he actually fell on top of him!

10 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Wonderful glimpse in the seedy boxing underworld, 10 July 2006

Author: Prof-Hieronymos-Grost from Ireland

Eddie Willis(Humphrey Bogart) is a down on his luck boxing critic who has just lost job when his newspaper goes bust. Nick Benko(Rod Steiger) a crooked boxing promoter hears of this and invites Eddie over to discuss some business,Benko wants him to use his press connections to promote his new boxer the Argentinian Toro Moreno,a brute of a man but with little or no talent for boxing.Eddie laughs off Moreno's chances in a ring with anyone, but as Benko later explains the fights are going to be fixed and Edie can have a percentage of the takings. A more hard hitting and gritty boxing drama you might find hard to find, the film really exposes the seedy under belly of the sport with all its corruption and vices. Its often been mooted that Bogart's last screen role was possibly his best and I can see why, there is a depth in his character that was not always there in some of his roles, Steiger too is phenomenal as in fact are the whole cast. Robson's direction is always assured and the pacing is nigh on perfect. A word too for Burnett Guffey's cinematography which captures the wonderful locations and fight scenes beautifully.A Swan song that delivers a fitting end for a legend.

12 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
No secret..., 18 November 2007

Author: Aida Nejad from Gothenburg, Sweden

There is no secret that Bogart made a lot of bad movies throughout his career, such as, oh, lets say "Sirocco". He said it himself! But there is also no secret that he is one of the greatest actors ever in history of film and that he made his share of unforgettable and great films like "Casablanca" or even the ones less famous, such as "In A Lonely Place". He is my favorite actor ever. And I am so happy that his last film was well acted and had an awesome story. Rod Steiger was also good in this historical boxing picture, with the large Mike Lane and some of the other less famous actors. But no matter what, Bogart owns this film, just as he seems to own all the other films he ever played in. Except from "The Raging Bull" (which I saw years ago!) this is the best boxing film I've seen! The fights were really well made and the "injuries" were believable and it really looked like they were bleeding or that they were really bad injured. I would say that this has about everything a great film needs, that includes Bogart. Once again, so glad this film, his last, was one of his absolute best!

15 out of 25 people found the following review useful:
A decent insight into the business of boxing!, 4 February 2007

Author: unreasonableboy from Dallas, Texas

Although this movie is now 50 years old I think that it is more relevant now than it was then in 1956. Prize fighting has moved on leaps and bounds since then, some of it positive and some negative. Of course it depends on your point of view about boxing and in some respects the message that this movie sends is totally dependent on that view. Some might say that it is anti boxing but I would say that it is a realistic portrayal of the business of professional boxing.

In this movie a boxing promoter Nick Benko (Rod Steiger) hires a washed up sports writer Eddie Willis (Humphry Bogart) to help talk up and help with the promotion of a new boxing sensation called Toro an Argentinean giant (6' 8" and 270 Ib.) "the wild man of the Andes". Unfortunately, Toro despite his size couldn't punch his way out of a wet paper bag and even worse, has a chandelier jaw to match. Any decent fighter worth his weight would turn Toro's legs into linguine with a decent combination of punches. Despite this obvious problem Benko is not perturbed and along with his crooked associates stage a series of fights where Toros opponents are bribed to throw the fights after a couple of rounds. The ultimate goal is to make Toro look much better than he really is.

The result of a string of wins against some decent opponents allows Toro to build up an impressive boxing resume and consequently his stock value in the world of boxing rises too. The tragedy is that Toro starts to believe in his own ability and Willis who feels he has a sense of responsibility towards Toro because he is partly responsible for the hype has a genuine feeling of affection for Toro who in reality is a naive gentle giant who only wants to go back to Argentina and buy his parents a home with his money.The ending of the movie is perhaps somewhat predictable but not without honor and your belief in humanity is some what left intact.

In offering full disclosure I think that boxing can be one of the most entertaining and exciting sporting events. The 1981 welterweight unification bout between Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns and the 1989 commonwealth title fight between middle weights Michael Watson and Nigel Benn both spring to mind. Fights are no more intense and exciting as these two and both lived up to pre-fight hype. However, on the down side boxing is riddled with miss matches and over hyped fighters. Frank Bruno a British heavyweight and world contender in the 1980's and early 1990's was one. Blessed with a well chiseled physic he built up an impressive KO record, yet when he came up against anybody half decent or not payed to take a dive he was found out and not nearly as powerful as we were led to believe. Also there is an alphabet soup of world bodies who claim to represent a world champion, phony fights and "Mexican road sweepers" who fall over when instructed too.

It's also important to note that boxing is also entertainment but more importantly a business and this movie portrays this very well. Yes big business, which goes some way to explain why there is so many promoters, world bodies, fighters, world title fights of some description. Boxing is like any other business it's marketed, promoted and sold to the public as entertainment and consequently to sell out crowds and large PPV TV audience or else exclusive TV rights. It's big money and there's a lot to be made, there are a lot of snouts in the trough claiming a cut of the money.

When you hear of a boxer getting paid $30 million a fight, by the time all of the expenses are taken into account, all the entourage get their slice the fighter gets considerably less. The fighter in effect is just one cog in the giant machine of the business in boxing, although an important part never the less he can't get the big fights unless they are a team player and play ball with the promoters. This movie in particular portrays this very well! I have no problem with the business nature, entertainment or the violence of boxing. As for the public or TV companies who are fooled into believing the hype of up and coming fighters and are willing to pay so much to watch fights under false pretenses -that's too bad. What I'm concerned with the welfare of the fighters when so many people are filthy rich out of prize fighting. In the end of the movie Eddie Willis concludes that boxing should be banned. That's the anti boxing message, however boxing can't be banned! The scandal is the fighters who end up seriously injured and broke either through the trauma of one fight i.e Gerald McClellan or through a succession of fights like the Quarry brothers who both ended up with brain damage and consequently in assisted living accommodation.

There are too many fat cats in boxing who are not accountable for the injuries that their fighters suffer while in the ring, this needs to be addressed and sorted out. To me this is what the movie is saying!

14 out of 24 people found the following review useful:
Bogart goes out with a bang, 23 August 2005

Author: blanche-2 from United States

What a wonderful way to end one of the all-time great careers. Bogart's last film, "The Harder They Fall" is a tough, uncompromising, cynical look at the fight world, and Bogart is magnificent as a down and out reporter who sells out to crooked boxing promoters.

One of the things so excellent about the film is that Bogie is surrounded by fantastic performances, particularly that of Rod Steiger as a vicious, greedy promoter, Mike Lane as the big dumb lug Steiger uses to accomplish his goals, and Max Baer as an egomaniacal champion.

"The Harder They Fall" spares us nothing - not the violence in the ring, the treatment of individuals like merchandise, the preying on the downtrodden. And it doesn't spare us Bogart's haggard looks, either. However, his energy is great and his characterization of a writer turned press rep, a man who looks the other way, is a powerful one.

There's a story often told about Bogart in his last days. Friends would come over to visit in the afternoon, and Bogart would climb into a dumbwaiter in order to get down to the first floor. He was that small (80 pounds) and that weak. But there was never anything weak about the mind, the will, or the persona.

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
The pen is mightier than the boxing glove., 5 November 2010

Author: JohnRouseMerriottChard from United Kingdom

Eddie Willis was once a top sports writer, but now he is down on his luck and searching for work. He gets a proposition from dodgy promoter Nick Benko, he is to write up sensationalist press for Benko's new discovery, the gigantic Toro Moreno. Trouble is is that Moreno is a poor boxer, powder puff punches and a glass jaw. But each fight is fixed by Benko and along with Eddie's press writings, this propels Moreno to being a household name, thus a crack at the heavyweight title is in the offering. However, Eddie starts to feel conflicted the more the story unfolds and just around the corner is a tragedy that will shape the destinies of everyone who is involved.

This was sadly to be the last film from the great Humphrey Bogart. He would pass away the following year, but thankfully this Mark Robson directed piece proves to be a fitting swansong. He puts depth to his portrayal of Willis and his face off scenes with Rod Steiger's Benko are a real acting joy to observe. The film itself {great scripting from Phillip Yordan} is a scathing and critical look at the boxing circuit, corruption, greed and a scant care for human life come bubbling to the surface, with Burnett Guffey's stark black & white photography adding grime to the nasty underbelly. Real life {and one time heavyweight champion of the world} boxer Primo Carnera sued {and lost} Columbia because The Harder They Fall's story was close enough to his own life story, that in itself makes this film's core story all the more interesting. 8/10

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