Rockers

This is the movie that some say inspired the plot for Pee Wee's Big Adventure. It's a story about an up and coming reggae musician who has his bike stolen and so he embarks on a quest to find his stolen property.

Joining him on his journey are some relatively well known names in roots reggae. A stand out scene for instance has Gregory Isaacs cracking a safe!. Another memorable scene shows the immensely talented but little known Kiddus I, shaking out his mass of dreadlocks before singing one of the more memorable songs of the film.

All in all it's a very fun and easy film to watch. Although the dialect can sometimes be a tad difficult to decipher it is easy enough to figure out what is going on. Most versions have subtitles but it is just as fun to ignore them and enjoy the local patois.

Remove Ya!

Basically devoid of anything as utterly redundant as a plot, storyline or a script (bah!) we dive into everyday life of rastas, their music and challenges they face. Instead of setting out a story we muse the town hustling with drumming legend Horsemouth (almost everyone here plays themselves and several scenes even go as far as to break the fourth wall), as he borrows money, buy a bike, starts distributing CDs, gets robbed, recaptures his bike, gets beaten and finally enacts sweet Robin Hood-esque vengeance on the big boys responsible.

Accompanying by a crew of rasta's of worldwide fame, like Jacob Miller, Gregory Isaacs, Robbie Shakespeare and so forth he has Jah on his side and enough laid back love attitude to capture the hearts and minds of unsuspecting viewers. At times utterly hilarious, else just fascinating, even if half the time is spent on deciphering Jamaican patois (which is actually vastly enjoyable in itself) into something slightly recognisable. Features a classic scene, where Richard 'Dirty Harry' Hall occupies a DJ booth and then resists Babilon with true rastafari class.

Techincally astute with some beautiful shots, as well as some classy laid-back artistry. Essential watching as a world cinema cinematographic gem. Especially if you want to end up all gushy-gooey feel-good after viewing, sight?

You don't have to be a reggae fan to enjoy this film (it's not a concert film); the scene compositions are unobtrusively beautiful and thoughtful, and sucked me in. This might seem unsurprising since the director has an art photography background, but he achieves in his directorial debut what most directors only dream about. The plot, acting and music combine to make a very fun, laid back movie and a pleasure to watch. It's a shame it's the director's only film.

As others have mentioned, this isn't a "story-telling" movie. The thin plot concerns Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace's purchase and loss of a motorbike, but the real value of this movie is as a snapshot of real life in Jamaica, outside of the tourist resorts. Most of the movie takes place in an urban setting (presumably Kingston, although part of the movie seems to take place in Ocho Rios) and this is really one of the closest looks you're ever going to get at the life of Jamaica's poor, working class musicians without going to Kingston in person. The musical performances are top-notch (especially a stunning a capella rendition of "Jah No Dead" by Burning Spear) and Horsemouth actually makes a pretty good actor, filled with righteous indignation as he goes after the "Mafia boy" who "t'ief" his bike. A must-see for any fan of Jamaican music or admirer or Jamaican culture.

In this movie we have the thinnest thread of a plot. A young man makes a living as a drummer while he uses a newly-purchased motorbike to sell records to shops around Kingston.

Then his bike is stolen. And he steals it back. When the mafia types ("mafia" being the reggae patois for any gangster) catch up to his and beat him up he swears to get justice. And, with a little help from his friends, he does.

The big attraction here is the music, not the plot. The soundtrack includes Peter Tosh, Robbie Shakespeare, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, Jacob Miler & Inner Circle, Bunny Wailer, Kiddus I and Leroy Wallace (who plays the protagonist). The DVD has seven extra audio tracks which are accompanied by stills from the production.

The DVD also has a nice essay on Rastafarian culture, as well as a glossary of the rasta patois.

A lot of fun. Buy it. Play it. The play it again.