Beware: premises monitored by security

Relax. Life is a struggle. Never give in.

An impressive move from Dan McCarthy

...And this was how dub was born

COUNTRYMAN

I stumbled upon this film while hunting around on you tube for more amazing dub/reggae clips. It seems there is an almost unending selection of lo-fi you tubes of classic dub/dancehall/reggae scenes, either in the dance, the studio, or the streets.  Countryman is in the vein of Rockers or the more famous The Harder They Come, in that it uses untrained actors for almost every role, and excels most when it isn't trying to conform to conventions like plot or characterization. The real treasure of Countryman is that much of the film offers a documentary-like glimpse of Jamaican life from the early 80s; also, the eponymous main character embodies the ital lifestyle and is so in tune with the natural world that, as he says, he has given his body up to the island and lives the life of a fisherman wearing only swimming trunks. He is able to run barefoot through the remarkably desert-like landscape of the rural Jamaican countryside (saguaros!), and with serious kung-fu skills take on a crew of about ten roughnecks in a great showdown scene towards the end of the movie. The movie has many other beautiful exploitation flick touches, so if you're looking for a good action flick with requisite nonsensical boob shots, Countryman can accommodate. But the Jahsploitation aside, this guy is for real. I mean, Countryman exists and lives his life exactly as portrayed in the film. In the DVD extras there is an interview with the older (but still incredibly fit) Countryman--who has used "Countryman" as his name all these years--and though in his 50s, he is ready to film the sequel.

This film has more payoff than most documentaries, without being a documentary. Countryman fits as a 70s exploitation flick yet simultaneously portrays a truly singular (real life) character.