Rockers

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.

After being totally burnt out on election coverage overkill, depressed by the economic woes and debating changing careers, my wife suggested we put on a movie and escape for a while.

She surprised me by pulling out "ROCKERS" one of my favorite movies of all time, it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't watched it once this year (i usually watch bi-annually)

Wow! its amazing that this movie holds up on every level, after the first 5 minutes I completely forgot all my problems and was absorbed into the conflict of Horsemouth, The acapella of Burning Spear and of course The RASTA takeover by Dirty HArry. REMOVE YA!!!

As a filmmaker I can only aspire to do a movie with such impact wit and simplicity. The music the story, the locations and who can beat the wardrobe. To the cast and crew I fully salute and thank you for making a truly classic picture!!

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?

I-man loves this movie! A true classic! Everyt'ing from the music to the actors to the land of the JA makes this a must see. Much more intimate than "The Harder They Come" and not as dark. This is also a very funny movie. The "Stepping Razor" walking montage is classic hilarity! Get this film and keep it in your collection. Do not lend it out or you might not see it again, sight? Without taking away from the great directing Theodore Bafaloukos did, this movie almost makes itself! Show me a movie with realer characters and I'll argue you with you day and night, seen? The soundtrack is great! All kinds of reggae styles from a cross-section of artists...many of whom are in the film! Jah Guide, Protection Until Time, and Loveful Heights!

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.