Countryman

First production from Island Pictures, whose parent record company did so much to introduce reggae to a white audience, but The Harder They Come it ain't. An underworked script by writer/director Jobson has Countryman, a Jamaican village fisherman, rescuing two Americans whose small plane has crashed, then sheltering them as they become the quarry of a national man-hunt conducted to disgrace the opposition party during a national election. Unfortunately, the film never works out its political confusions. But even more problematic are the supernatural powers with which its innocent protagonist is endowed, probably the sticking point for wide audience acceptance. An excellent sampler-style soundtrack - Marley, Toots, Scratch Perry, Aswad - isn't enough to paper over the deficiencies. Nor is the film's superbly lush landscape cinematography.