The Harder They Fall

Released May 9, 1956

1h 49m

Drama

List

100%

14 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Broke and without work, newspaper reporter Eddie Willis (Humphrey Bogart) agrees to work for the corrupt boxing promoter Nick Benko (Rod Steiger) to help hype his new boxer, Toro Moreno (Mike Lane). While Toro is beastly in appearance, he has no actual boxing talent, and all his fights are fixed. When Toro gets a shot at the title against the brutal Buddy Brannen (Max Baer), Willis is faced with the tough decision of whether or not to tell Toro that his entire career is a sham.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Mar 02

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Watch The Harder They Fall with a subscription on Prime Video, rent on Fandango at Home, or buy on Fandango at Home.

Richard Brody

New Yorker

Packs the ambient violence of a sports world and a media scene that are infested with gangsters; it’s an exposé not just of boxing but of the American way of business.

Jul 18, 2022

Full Review

Bosley Crowther

New York Times

This hard-punching boxing-business picture... comes out swinging from the very beginning and doesn't stop until just before the end.

Mar 25, 2006

Full Review

George N. Fenin

Film Culture

Robson and Yordan have fulfilled their aesthetic objectives, making The Harder They Fall one of the most honest American films in recent years. But in accordance with the limitation of their vision, they only scratched the corrupted crust of [boxing].

Mar 28, 2022

Full Review

Hoshi Soffen

Shin Nichibei/New Japanese American News

A lousy racket lurking around some of the prize fighting arenas of the country is being depicted in one of the most gripping films to come out of Hollywood crucible.

Nov 22, 2019

Full Review

Prairie Miller

NewsBlaze

Honored as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema by the American Film Institute, the late iconic Humphrey Bogart is now similarly memorialized with the re-release of this screen classic compilation.

Dec 25, 2011

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

In this noir sports melodrama, which is his final screen role, Bogart gives a powerful performance.

Rated: B+

Jul 5, 2011

Full Review

Read all reviews

Steve D

I am not a big boxing guy but this is one of the best of its kind.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/08/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Hard to watch. Script full of boring moments. Cliché. Bad acting. Fake violence in all the wrong places. Good music in all the wrong moments. Non plausible story, badly performed, but ambitious. Worst combo.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I feel this movie covered a lot, and showed a hidden history, very entertaining.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Worst movie all year

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

What a great movie! I didn't see a lot of advertising for this but if you want to see a good western, lots of action and overall good movie check it out!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Excellent film about the boxing industry. Humphrey Bogart's last film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/07/21

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Mark Robson

Director

Humphrey Bogart

Eddie Willis

Rod Steiger

Nick Benko

Jan Sterling

Beth Willis

Mike Lane

Toro Moreno

Max Baer

Buddy Brannen

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

95%

87%

The Caine Mutiny

99%

95%

On the Waterfront

TRAILER

for On the Waterfront

96%

89%

In a Lonely Place

50%

54%

Picnic

50%

61%

The Strange One

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Broke and without work, newspaper reporter Eddie Willis (Humphrey Bogart) agrees to work for the corrupt boxing promoter Nick Benko (Rod Steiger) to help hype his new boxer, Toro Moreno (Mike Lane). While Toro is beastly in appearance, he has no actual boxing talent, and all his fights are fixed. When Toro gets a shot at the title against the brutal Buddy Brannen (Max Baer), Willis is faced with the tough decision of whether or not to tell Toro that his entire career is a sham.

Director: Mark Robson
Screenwriter: Budd Schulberg, Philip Yordan
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, Columbia TriStar Home Video
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 9, 1956, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Runtime: 1h 49m
Sound Mix: Mono

Most Popular at Home Now