For today, we have two films that are great character studies; both entertain, but could have used more narrative focus.

The Harder They Fall (Netflix USA) - Directed by British musician and filmmaker Jeymes Samuels, this wild and woolly Western is its own revisionist take on that particular epoch in US History, and what makes it very different is how it’s executed with a predominantly Black cast. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a more impressive gathering of African-American actors and actresses in one film. Strong on style and attitude, and with Samuels’ gift for musical scoring and costume design, this film inevitably has a difficult time giving enough screen time for all the assembled talent. Jonathan Majors from Lovecraft Country, LaKeith Stanfield, Delroy Lindo, Regina King, and Idris Elba, these are just some of the heavyweights brought together for this film.

The Tarantino influence is evident from the start, and it works, gifting us with a highly entertaining two hours - with the first half much stronger than the second half which culminates in the requisite extended gunfight. The premise has to do with two rival gangs, one led by Nat (Majors), and the other led by Buck (Elba). The prologue explains it all, with Elba’s character murdering the ‘parents’ of Nat when he was just a young boy, and scarring his forehead with a deep cross. What follows is Attitude 101, with rap, reggae, and rock booming from the soundtrack. I mentioned costume design, and you’ll love the headgear and overcoats that punctuate the personas of the various characters. As the film is based on historical characters, you may wish some of the characters were better fleshed out and grounded.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (Video on Demand) - If you’re as ancient as me, it would have been hard to escape the pervasive presence of the PTL Club, and of Tammy Faye and Jim Baker, in the 1980’s. The couple were ‘sponsored’ by the likes of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, as preachers and evangelists shifted to television, and needed younger practitioners of the ‘Faith’. If you recall, there also was their ignominious fall from grace for the embezzling of tremendous amounts of money, sexual peccadilloes, and living an outrageously lavish lifestyle that shocked even their most loyal followers. So it’s a perfect story for a Hollywood dramedy, very public figures of the past who were put on a pedestal, and suffered from the sin of hubris.

Jessica Chastain is truly impressive as Tammy Faye, and she’s in practically every scene of the film, with reason, as it is her story. Andrew Garfield plays Jim Baker, and while he does his best, the narrative just doesn’t give us enough to understand him better. He’s made to often look like a petty person, and one who ultimately only thought about himself. Michael Showalter directs, and he’s best known for The Big Sick, where he wonderfully synch’ed with Kumail Nanjani’s screenplay and acting. In this film, if there is a drawback, it would be that there’s far too much placed on Chastain’s shoulders and she does all the heavy lifting in the film. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’ll figure in the Best Actress talk for 2021 films. Watch it for Chastain, as she’s riveting, truly immersed in her character-building.