Countryman.

Review #1467: Countryman.

Cast: 
Countryman [Edwin Lothan], Hiram Keller (Bobby Lloyd), Carl Bradshaw (Capt. Benchley), Basil Keane (Colonel Sinclair), Freshey Richardson (Mosman), Kristina St. Clair (Beau Porter), Jahman (Jahman), Papa Threecards (Sadu Baba), Munair Zacca (Periera), Dee Anthony (Mr. Porter), and Ronnie McKay (Wax) Directed by Dickie Jobson.

Review: 
"[Jobson] always knew which way the wind was blowing, and was first on the scene when the dust settled. An original thinker, he brought warmth, humour and friendship to all who had the privilege to be in his presence."

Everybody deserves to have their story told or make a film about something they feel deserves to be put on screen, no matter what the conditions are in making something worthy of an audience to be curious about. The ones responsible for helping to bring the film to production was Island Records, a British-Jamaican record label that had been founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell (who one year prior had been saved by Rasta fisherman on the coast), Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong that was credited for helping to bring reggae and ska music to the mainstream. One notable group they brought attention to was Bob Marley & The Wailers, as Blackwell had given money to the group to fund their first album with Island. This was not the first film of Jamaica (which had gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1962) to reach some sort of prominence, nor was it the first to have funding from Island Records, as they had helped give financing to Perry Henzell's The Harder They Come (1972), which had proved a hit in the country along with some success abroad (such as midnight showings). Helming the film as director was Jobson, a friend and business associate of Blackwell that had managed Marley's group for a time, with their music being featured in this film (with a dedication to Marley, who died the previous year). The film features a man known primarily as Countryman (both Edwin Lothan, who lived from 1946 to 2016), who had first been covered by Rolling Stone (referred to as Cunchyman) in their 1973 article "The Wild Side of Paradise". He was a real-life fisherman of Indian and African descent (coincidentally, he was to have a part in Henzell's No Place Like Home (1973), although the print was apparently lost for years).

Although it is an English-language film, this seemed like an appropriate film to fit in the world cinema label because of its interesting place as an adventure film with reggae touches and a near-mythic quality to its main focus. It has a strange mix of adventure and exploitation to it at times, and it doesn't quite live up to its thin story, but there is something worthy about the curiosity that this film brings to the table that makes it different from the usual fare. It may not have anything in terms of great acting, but there is certainly an appeal in seeing our title star engage with his world and the situations that can arise from it, such as dealing with alligators or with the wilderness at large that make for an interesting time to feel play out without needing so many details for 102 minutes. There really isn't that many things to highlight that don't involve our star, mostly because characters come and go as they please in a plot that somehow involves fabrications involving the CIA and smugglers in an election. It isn't exactly a winner, but it certainly seems to belong as a cult classic in its own certain way, for which one can seek it out on the Internet if one desires to do so. For those who have the curiosity for something around the bend with its view of mysticism and a distinct man to go with a blend of fine landscapes, this may prove worth it.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.