A Different Type of Western

Cinematographer Mihai Mălaimare Jr. employs a mix of optics with DXL2 to craft the widescreen western The Harder They Fall.
Pair a British-born songwriter-director who’s collaborated with musicians like Jay-Z with a Romanian cinematographer known for shooting intense dramas, and what kind of movie might you get? An American western, of course. But not just any American western. The Netflix feature The Harder They Fall, directed by Jeymes Samuel and photographed by Mihai Mălaimare Jr., is a table-turning, race-bending, music-rich western where Black actors play the cowboys (and villains) while the white actors populate the background. This depiction of the American West is one seldom seen on the silver screen, but one that nevertheless existed, as the film notes on its title card.