WITH A PIECE IN HIS HAND HE TAKES ON THE MAN!
Ivanhoe Martin (Jimmy Cliff) comes to Kingston looking for opportunities; he tries to make it as a reggae singer, but ends up dealing drugs. The first feature film produced in Jamaica obviously borrows a lot from American blaxploitation flicks, but rarely finds its mojo; the script is loosely based on a real-life story and never deviates from the expected. Still, what makes it worth more than one look is the Kingston setting ā and the reggae score, which is so good it actually helped launch the genre to U.S. consumers. Song after song, the music emphasizes emotions in a way that the story can’t.
1972-Jamaica. 103 min. Color. Produced and directed byĀ Perry Henzell. Songs: Jimmy Cliff (“The Harder They Come”, “You Can Get It If You Really Want”, “Many Rivers to Cross”). Cast: Jimmy Cliff (Ivanhoe Martin), Janet Bartley (Elsa), Carl Bradshaw (Jose), Ras Daniel Hartman, Bobby Charlton.
