Jeymes Samuel wrote and directed the movie which is redefining the western genre with a cast that features Regina King, Idris Elba, Jonathan Majors and Zazie Beetz. It’s topped the Netflix viewing charts around the globe since its release, gaining praise for its story and for the engaging soundtrack, which was also worked on by the movie’s producer Jay-Z.
The Harder They Fall is available to watch on Netflix now, and it’s also available to watch in limited movie theaters.
Everything from this point on is a spoiler for the ending of The Harder They Fall.
Did Treacherous Trudy Die in ‘The Harder They Fall’?
The final act of The Harder They Fall sees Nat Love’s (Majors) gang fight Rufus Buck (Elba) and his gang in the town of Redwood. While most of the outlaws battle in the town, Stagecoach Mary (Beetz) and Gertrude “Treacherous Trudy” Smith fight it out in a barn.
Their confrontation ends when Mary hits Trudy with the butt of her gun, knocking her out and spraying her blood everywhere. Mary then screams at Trudy’s body after the exhausting confrontation finishes but we don’t see Trudy die as violently as we see the other characters—it turns out, that’s because she doesn’t die.
In the final act of the movie, as Nat, Mary, Bass (Delroy Lindo) and Cuffee (Danielle Deadwyler) are parting ways and saying goodbye, the camera pans to a lone figure watching the interaction.
From the waist down, we see the unmistakable coat, gloves and hat of Treacherous Trudy, who stands still and watches her foes ride off into the sunset. While we don’t explicitly see Trudy’s face to confirm it is her, the silhouette is enough to determine that Trudy survived.
Will Trudy Return?
Writer and director Samuel revealed why he chose to imply King’s character survived in an interview with Esquire. He said the fact we never saw Trudy die was more a reflection on Beetz’ character: “Mary is smart, she’s not about to just kill anyone, and Trudy’s also smart. They square it out, and men don’t do that in this film.”
Samuel admitted he’d like to continue the story told in The Harder They Fall with a “CCU—a Cowboy Cinematic Universe,” referencing Marvel’s MCU. He deliberately left the story open for a sequel and said: “For me, the only thing better than Trudy Smith is more Trudy Smith, you know what I mean? I’m always going to dive back into the Old West.”
While the story of The Harder They Fall is fictional, each of the characters are based off of real-life multicultural people who lived in the Wild West. Less is known about the real-life Trudy Smith than the other characters, but the production notes from Netflix describe her as “gangster, a thief, and a killer, making her way through a male-dominated world.”
Online, viewers are calling for a Trudy sequel or spinoff movie after the ending revealed she’s alive. @Ms_SimplyFlyy said “I need a Treacherous Trudy spinoff” while @azmadu predicts “Treacherous Trudy is definitely coming back for a rematch with Mary.”
@thedianaberman praised the overall movie and said she “can’t wait for treacherous Trudy’s revenge.” @_SamuraiTy said “The Harder They Fall spin-off gotta focus on the Rufus Buck gang, particularly Treacherous Trudy.”
As it stands, Netflix nor the team behind The Harder The Fall have confirmed whether or not there is a planned sequel to the movie.
The Harder They Fall is available to stream on Netflix now.
