Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Previously, Jamaica had appeared on screen as the setting of "Dr. No". But it was in Perry Henzel's reggae-themed film "The Harder They Come" that the Caribbean island really made a splash. The movie is based on the life of Ivanhoe "Rhyging" Martin, a man who moved to Kingston in the 1940s and became a hero to Jamaica's masses through his fights against the police, and eventually got shot dead. Jimmy Cliff brings the role to the screen perfectly, capturing every aspect of day-to-day life on the island, and how Ivan has to turn to illegal activities just to survive. But the best part is without a doubt the music. This celebration of reggae is everything that any Rastafarian could want. "The Harder They Come" is one great movie, mahn! Jimmy Cliff later co-starred in Harold Ramis's innocuously silly "Club Paradise", about an ex-firefighter (Robin Williams) who establishes a resort on a Caribbean island.

In September 1948, outlaw Ivanhoe 'Rhygin' Martin, entered Jamaican folklore after dying in a hail of bullets during a shootout with police in Lime Cay. 25 years later, reggae star Jimmy Cliff appropriated the rude boy's name and legend for his lead role in Jamaica's first feature film, a rough 'n' ready expose of homegrown corruption, class war and poverty. And homegrown. (Had this film been rendered in smellovision they'd have had to stretcher out entire audiences in stunned but happy droves.) A much-loved cult item since release, it also boasts one of the greatest soundtracks in the business, featuring the Maytals, Desmond Decker and, naturally, Jimmy Cliff.

I rented this film off of Netflix. I know I'd watch this movie again and again. This film as others have stated isn't for everyone, it's very low-budget; however for me it made it more honest through its grittiness. I couldn't take this film as seriously as it's about an impoverished character if it were done on a large budget, chocked full of stunt-work and explosions. To be fair I think they managed this production on such a budget quite well. Another thing you'd have to be into Reggae music, and know a few things about Jamaican or Caribbean Culture to appreciate it. Also, don't expect a really complex story-line. It's a typical plot about a character who faces struggles to try to make it in whatever they want to do.Our Folk-Anti-Hero, Ivan (Jimmy Cliff) is believable as the naive country-boy-turned-sharp-rude-boy, who went to the city to get a shot in show-biz. He basically just wants to have control over his own destiny, but people stand in his way-- from an overbearing preacher, to omnipotent record producers, to gangsters demanding protection fees, to corrupt policemen wanting their cut. As stated in other reviews, Ivan gets cheated on a record-deal, and is forced to sell ganja to survive (as no place will hire him, because they don't want to train workers), after awhile he gets sick of paying these protection fees to gangsters. So Jose the mob boss rats him out and sends cops after him; Ivan kills them, and he's ultimately left on the run. To stick his tongue out at the cops, he paints on the city walls messages such as "I was here". It's understandable why citizens would also paint all over the walls "I'm Everywhere" and harbor him, because they know whats up, and they are fed up. Meanwhile the record execs brush the dust off his record, to make some profits off of his "bad-ass" image and the public's sympathy for Ivan. The record execs tell the cops "before they kill him, get him into the recording studio first...". Though Ivan is heroic not with any collectivistic deeds, but as a symbol of standing-up for himself. By doing so he throws off the facade of the rulers of society and shows how dishonest they really are.This movie asks a question: Who really has disregard for human-life; Ivan the cop-killer or the media making profits off of the carnage?

Ivanhoe Martin (Jimmy Cliff) lives in Jamaica. He goes to the big city to become a singer. However he gets his song taken (for $200.00) by an unscrupulous record producer and ends up selling marijuana. When he shoots three policeman dead he becomes sort of a hero...and his record starts selling.This was a HUGE cult movie in the 1970s and 80s. At one art cinema in Cambridge Massachusetts it played OVER 10 YEARS as a midnight movie! I tried to see it there back in the 1980s but had to leave after 15 minutes. Quite a few people were smoking pot openly in the theatre (Ah! The 80s!) and the smell was terrible. I finally caught it in the 1990s and I honestly can't see what all the fuss is about. It's not a terrible movies (I'm giving it a 7) but it's no great shakes. It's crudely made with terrible acting, a predictable story and dialogue that's almost impossible to understand (due to the strong Jamaican accents most of the cast has). This film also introduced (I think) reggae to America. The songs are great and Cliff really belts them out. Unfortunately there's only two or three songs and they're repeated again and again and AGAIN! The direction is good for such a low budget movie. So--I didn't hate it but I honestly can't see why people kept seeing this over and over. If it's just for the music they could have bought the album.