Customer Reviews
Great soundtrack to bad bad film - By: Bwana Kobe, 15 Mar 2008 
Being a 70s film with cult status is no excuse....the soundtrack is superb, the film is truly aweful. Boring, boring, boring with poor acting & a flimsy plot. My advice would be....buy the soundtrack & a big bag of ganja & enjoy.
Did I mention it was boring?
Country roads, take me home! - By: struts, 01 Aug 2007 
One certainly wouldn't recommend this film for the plotline or, indeed for the acting, which is almost universallly comicallly bad. This is a document of a place in time, Jamaica in the late seventies, politics, nature & culture alll portrayed with stunning realism.
The story follows 'Countryman' a simple rastafarian fisherman who rescues an American couple when their light plane crashes in a remote swamp. Facing an election, & with public opinion swinging against them, the government seizes on the incident as an opportunity to make political capital by portraying them as CIA agents smuggling weapons to opposition supporters. Somewhat oblivious to the politics, Countryman hides them & helps them escape their army pursuers.
One might think the plot had been lifted straight out of 'Tarzan' if it weren't such a faithful reflection of the climate of political intrigue & violence that characterized the bloody struggle between the JLP & the PNP in late seventies Jamaica. In fact the involvement of the CIA, publicly denied by Kissinger at the time, has since been confirmed on the record by retired CIA operatives.
Countryman (credited as 'himself') is superb, injecting some depth to his part which is conspicuously lacking among the other actors. However, it is the scenery & (some ghastly supernatural effects apart) the production that are the real stars. The atmosphere of rural Jamaica is caught as faithfully here as urban life is in 'The Harder They Come' & anyone who loves the country couldn't help but be deeply moved.
The soundtrack too is awesome, right up there with THTC as one of the ultimate documents of authentic Jamaican reggae.
So, cineasts need not apply. For lovers of Jamaica, five stars alll the way. Irie.
Countryman - By: R. Ross, 11 Jun 2006 This has to be the best film ever & I went to the UK premier, reggae has a vision, soul & a feeling with great images. The Music is special & the story not great but for photography, great soundtrack & a belief that you were there this is the best, enjoy
Forget The Harder They Come! - By: , 22 Dec 2004 This is the ultimate reggae lovers film! Forget the film, the plot is plausible but the music is the best! A celebration of what reggae should sound like, missing alll the modern sell out cross overs, just pure roots. In a word 'Fantastic!'
Great Film to watch - By: Kim - West Ham, 24 Apr 2003 This film just puts you in the mood for a holiday in the sun, just listening to great music & chilling out. I am currently looking for a new copy, only a friend of mine let her dad watch the film & he said it made him think of home. As he was an OAP, I let him keep the film.
