Movies — especially period pieces — commonly mention that they’re based on a true story before the opening credits roll. It’s no accident that Netflix’s The Harder They Fall begins with a slightly different claim. The title card reads: “These. People. Existed.” The vast majority of the characters in Jeymes Samuel’s impressive feature-length directorial debut have real-life counterparts in American history, and many of their deeds (good and bad) are underrepresented in textbooks. But Samuel uses the Black heroes and villains of the Wild West in a way that’s more like how Marvel uses superheroes. Though they make up rival outlaw gangs in The Harder They Fall, historical records show that, in most cases, they lived thousands of miles and several years apart, and likely never encountered each other.
Even so, The Harder They Fall captures the spirit of the late 1800s frontier from the perspective of Black and mixed-race Americans. Characters like Jim Beckwourth were born when slavery was legal and had to forge second acts for themselves after emancipation and freedom, precarious as it was. He went on to be a fur trapper and explorer. Others, like Bill Pickett, came of age in the years after the Civil War and found itinerant work as cowboys and in rodeos and Wild West shows. Reconstruction and westward momentum brought opportunity and risk. In the largely ungoverned west, some of the characters that Samuel borrows from history found themselves working for the law (or at least abiding by it) while others found themselves running from it.
Bass Reeves Looms Large in U.S. History
Bass Reeves (Delroy Lindo) is a supporting player in The Harder They Fall, but he looms large in U.S. history, even if many Americans haven’t heard of him. Reeves, who also turns up in HBO’s Watchmen, was very likely the inspiration for The Lone Ranger. Born into slavery in 1838, he was owned by the family of William S. Reeves and became the personal assistant of his son, George, who served on the Confederate side in the Civil War. Though he may have seen combat, oral histories hold that Bass punched George over a card game, a crime punishable by death for a slave, and escaped into Indian Territory early in the war.
There, he sought refuge with the Creek and Seminole tribes. He learned from them and became fluent in their languages. Bass married and had ten children then worked for a while as a farmer, rancher and guide before being offered a position as deputy U.S. marshal. He was one of the first Black lawmen west of the Mississippi, and one of the most effective in the nation’s history. Often working alone except for his trusty steed, Bass Reeves brought in more than 3000 outlaws, including his own son, who was wanted for the murder of his wife.
Nat Love Was Better Known to Some as Deadwood Dick
In the film, Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) is a charismatic presence. He was in real life, too, but one with a completely different backstory. Nat’s family were slaves on Robert Love’s plantation in Tennessee, and while literacy was forbidden for enslaved people, Nat learned to read and write anyway. These were skills that helped him cement his legacy later in life.
After the Civil War, his parents stayed on as sharecroppers, but he developed a reputation for being good at breaking horses. He worked odd jobs and entered contests to make enough money to leave home and try his luck out west. Nat was a cowboy alongside Billy the Kid and eventually made his way to Deadwood where he entered and won a rodeo. For his efforts, he earned $200 and the nickname Deadwood Dick. He documented his adventures — like the time he was captured by the Pima tribe and almost married the chief’s daughter — in his autobiography.
Rufus Buck’s Crimes Were Worse Than His Fictional Counterpart’s
The plot of The Harder They Fall hews closer to Rufus Buck’s (Idris Elba) biography than Nat Love’s, though there are still some key differences. Buck, who was of African and Creek heritage, did lead a multiracial gang of outlaws that sought fame, power and money through intimidation. In reality, his crime spree was worse but shorter-lived than what’s depicted in the film.
After the summer of 1895, The Rufus Buck Gang was wanted for theft, rape and murder. Their atrocities included the sexual assaults and wrongful deaths of minors, and the killing of a U.S. deputy marshal. They viciously toyed with their victims, and they were equal-opportunity offenders. The targets of their cruelty were young, old, white, Black and Native American. After the Supreme Court held up Buck’s rape conviction, all five gang members were hung together. Rufus Buck was probably only about 18 years old at the time.
Stagecoach Mary Was the First Black Female Mail Carrier
The real Stagecoach Mary got her name because of her profession: she was effectively the first Black female mail carrier, though she was technically an independent contractor. Like Nat, she was born an enslaved person in Tennessee but then traveled across the country in search of a better life. Mary lived for a time in an Ohio convent and likely moved to Montana with the nuns, who were starting a school for Indigenous girls.
There’s been some controversy about Mary’s (Zazie Beetz) portrayal in The Harder They Fall, where she’s depicted as thin, light-skinned and feminine. In real life, Mary was larger, darker-skinned and didn’t adhere to gender norms. She often dressed in male clothing, hunted game and took traditionally male jobs. Upon hearing that she had engaged in a gun duel, the bishop banned her from working at the nun’s school, where she had been organizing supplies. She won a contract with the U.S. Postal department, and she braved long journeys and harsh elements along her route. Mary faced discrimination for her gender and race consistently throughout her long life. She lived to be 82.
Cherokee Bill Was a Notorious Outlaw
Though Cherokee Bill (Lakeith Stanfield) and Rufus Buck never ran in the same gang together, they had an awful lot in common. Bill, whose given name was Crawford Goldsby, was of white, African and Cherokee descent. He fled to Indian Territory after he shot his rival for a girl’s affection after a dance. He may have assumed the identity of Cherokee Bill because land settlements may have led him to believe he had money coming to him, due to his tribal affiliation.
Bill worked his way up from stealing whiskey to holding up trains. He joined the Cook Brothers Gang before forming one of his own. He also claimed to have ridden with Billy the Kid and was probably the most notorious criminal of his time. After a botched robbery at a post office, in which he killed an onlooking painter, he was sentenced to hang and died at the age of 20.
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