Netflix’s new movie The Harder They Fall boasts a lot of real-life historical figures in its character list. The film bills itself as a “new school western” and promises to be filled with quips and over-the-top action sequences. However, it seems that the story departs from historical events, so who were the real historical people behind the characters in The Harder They Fall?
The movie follows Nat Love (Jonathan Majors), a retired outlaw, as he brings his gang back together to seek revenge on the man that killed his parents. That man is Rufus Buck (Idris Elba) who has just been freed from a prison train by his gang. As the two groups fight it out, other characters get caught up in the middle of things with their own agents, such as Delroy Lindo’s Bass Reeves.
The timelines of the historical individuals don’t actually line up in a way that the plot of the movie would have been fully possible. Additionally, historical documents don’t suggest that Buck and Love ever actually crossed paths. However, bringing attention to some important figures in non-white history is rarely a bad thing, and this fictionalized idea of what could have happened if they had met is bound to ensure that their names are more widely known. Here’s the real history behind the revealed characters for The Harder They Fall.
Nat Love – Jonathan Majors
The Harder They Fall portrays Jonathan Majors’ (Lovecraft Country) character as a retired renowned outlaw. In reality, he was a skilled cowboy, but there is no indication that he was in the regular habit of breaking the law. He is one of the best documented cowboys of the time, as he published an autobiography in 1907 called Life and Adventures of Nat Love, Better Known in the Cattle Country as ‘Deadwood Dick,’ by Himself. As it is self-authored and makes some bold claims, it is unclear how much of the story is true to begin with, of course.
Love was made a slave at birth in 1854. After his family was freed, they worked on plantations in Tennessee, with Nat taking on extra work to help the family after the death of his father. He had a knack with breaking horses and eventually raised enough money to leave town at the age of 16. Living as a cowboy, he became an expert marksman and fought off cattle rustlers as he made his way out to Arizona, where he claims to have met Billy the Kid.
After arriving in Deadwood in the Dakota Territory he took part in a competition as part of a 4th of July celebration and won the tasks of roping, bridling, saddling, and shooting, eventually walking away with $200 and the new nickname “Deadwood Dick” -- a reference to a popular fictional character at the time. He claims that he was captured for a time by a group of Native Americans who came to respect him and from whom he eventually escaped by stealing a pony. He retired from life as a cowboy in 1889 and took a job as a train porter. He died aged 67 in 1921.
Stagecoach Mary – Zazie Beetz
While The Harder They Fall has Stagecoach Mary played by Zazie Beetz, who is about 30, the figure would have been in her early 60s by the late-1800s when the film must take place. Born Mary Fields, when Stagecoach Mary was eventually emancipated she took a series of jobs and many roles that were traditionally seen as “men’s work.” After being barred from a nunnery due to profanity and gunplay, Fields opened a tavern, but it eventually closed as it did not make enough money, attributed to her allowing the poor to eat for free.
When she was around 60, Mary took a job as a mail carrier driving a stagecoach through dangerous terrain. She was the first African American woman to work for the U.S. Postal service and became renowned for her reliability, regularly fighting off wolves and bandits and delivering mail on foot when the snow was too deep for horses. Her exploits earned her the nickname Stagecoach Mary and she was beloved by her community, eventually retiring at 71 before dying around age 82 in 1914.
Bill Pickett – Edi Gathegi
In The Harder They Fall, Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi, The Last Thing He Wanted) is a part of Nat Love’s reassembled gang. Like Love, Pickett was a cowboy rather than an outlaw. He invented a technique called bulldogging, in which he would jump at a stray steer and wrestle it to the ground by biting its lip and falling backwards, a technique that was used by bulldogs to the same effect. He began performing at county fairs and rodeos, traveling and showing off his bulldogging act. He eventually appeared alongside the likes of Buffalo Bill and was included in early motion pictures. He lived to be 61 and died in 1932.
James Beckwourth – R.J. Cyler
Stylized in The Harder They Fall as Jim Beckworth, R.J. Cyler’s (Black Lightning) character is another member of Love’s gang. Beckwourth was a skilled fighter, explorer, and fur trader. Part of his explorations led him to the territories of the Crow Nation and he eventually married the daughter of a chief and rose through the ranks of their society. He continued to travel and sell furs, and in his later life worked for the U.S. government and the army. He died of natural causes in either 1866 or 1867.
Rufus Buck – Idris Elba
Idris Elba’s Rufus Buck in The Harder They Fall is known to have killed Nat Love’s parents, but the real Buck’s crimes were extensive. The leader of the Rufus Buck Gang, his group was only active from 1895 to 1896 and included Lewis Davis, Sam Sampson, Mamoa July, and Lucky Davis (none of whom have been confirmed for the film). During their time they are known to have committed murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and rape, including the murder of a 14-year old girl. The entire gang were captured and, after trials and appeals, were eventually hanged in 1896.
“Cherokee Bill” – LaKeith Stanfield
LaKeith Stanfield plays “Cherokee Bill” in The Harder They Fall and is a part of the gang that breaks Rufus Buck from prison. Born Crawford Goldsby, the outlaw picked up the nickname after an acquaintance gave it as a fake name to the authorities. During his time as an outlaw, he helped to form the Cook Gang and terrorized Oklahoma. The group robbed banks, stagecoaches, and stores indiscriminately, killing anyone that got in their way. Despite an attempted jailbreak Goldsby was eventually hanged in 1896, and there is no evidence that he and Buck ever actually associated with each other.
Bass Reeves – Delroy Lindo
Delroy Lindo (Anansi Boys) plays Bass Reeves in The Harder They Fall. Bass Reeves was enslaved by a man who joined the Confederate Army during the Civil War, but gained his freedom in ways that remain unclear. After emancipation, he became the first black deputy U.S. marshal to serve west of the Mississippi. During his more than three decades in law enforcement, Reeves arrested over 3,000 felons, killed 14 outlaws in self-defense, and had to arrest his own son for murder. Throughout his entire career, Reeves was never injured.
Wiley Escoe – Deon Cole
Deon Cole is playing Wiley Escoe, whose name appeared in a list of black deputy U.S. marshals. It is unclear how many black men served as deputy U.S. marshals, as federal records did not include race. Escoe is one of several that are known, but a detailed history of his life does not seem to exist. His appearance in The Harder They Fall will likely be mostly fictional.
