Carl Bradshaw Movies

The Harder They Come director Perry Henzel returns to the Caribbean paradise which inspired that reggae-infused classic to tell this breezy tale of a worldly, New York producer who travels to Jamaica to lens a commercial, only to find her latest production thrown into question when her star player storms off of the set. Susan (Susan O'Meara)'s latest project is a shampoo commercial that she envisions shooting against the backdrop of Jamaica's breathtaking beaches and waterfalls. When the shoot doesn't go as planned and Susan's fair-haired lead (P.J. Soles) abandons the production, the producer and a local crewman (Carl Bradshaw) voyage deep into rural Jamaica in search of the vanished actress. Shot in the 1970s and subsequently stalled when the negative went missing, Henzel's follow-up to the 1972 Jimmy Cliff classic was eventually completed in the early years of the new millennium when the director surprisingly stumbled across the long-lost footage in a New York film lab. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This rugged crime drama set in the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica, concerns Capone (Paul Campbell), a streetwise undercover police officer who grew up in the worst part of Kingston and has become an effective lawman -- almost too effective, as his sometimes brutal methods have gotten him in trouble with his superiors. When Capone is sent back to the neighborhood where he grew up, he makes the shocking discovery that his best friend from childhood, Ratty (Mark Danvers), has taken up a life of crime as a right-hand man for local crime boss Oney (Carl Bradshaw). Capone learns that Ratty is a key man in Oney's gun-running operation, and he's torn between his loyalty to his friend and his duties as a cop; Rita (Audrey Reid), Capone's ex-girlfriend who now lives with Ratty, is caught in the middle. Shot in Jamaica using a mixture of professional actors and folks off the street, Third World Cop is scored with a pulsating reggae soundtrack, featuring Sly and Robbie, Beenie Man, the Marley Brothers, Innocent Crew, and Wally Badarou. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Reggae music is featured in this romantic thriller set in Jamaica. Stoney (Giancarlo Esposito), a photojournalist, is assigned by a U.S. music magazine to cover a battle of the bands in Jamaica. There he becomes involved with the seductive Blossom (Jasmine Guy) who works for Mr. Lee (Lucien Chen), a crime boss. Lee is planning to rob the concert box office. Blossom tries to convince Stoney to help her steal the money from Lee and escape to another island paradise. Interspersed amongst the action are many clips of the reggae bands as they musically battle it out. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Xavier Quinn (Denzel Washington) is police chief of a tiny Caribbean island. Quinn's efforts to straddle the fence between the local blacks and the moneyed whites have lost him the respect of both groups. When a murder is committed, Quinn suspects that the killer is Maubee (Robert Townsend), a notoriously elusive criminal who has become a folk hero to the locals. Despite various political pressures -- and the fact that he and Maubee were childhood friends-Quinn vows to solve the murder, and, if necessary, bring Maubee to justice. A mess of merry plot twists distinguish this diverting fox-and-hound caper. Filmed entirely on location, The Mighty Quinn was based on Finding Maubee, a novel by A.H.Z. Carr. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A harmonious fisherman who lives his life peacefully drifting with the tides finds himself drawn into a political plot after rescuing two Americans from the wreckage of a crashed airplane. Countryman is a man of knowledge, a man who lives by the land and leads a noble life. When the solitary fisherman sees an airplane crash into a nearby swamp, he heroically comes to the rescue of the two surviving passengers. For his efforts, Countryman is not commended, but branded an enemy agent along with the two Americans from the airplane. The man responsible for transforming the selfless hero into a desperate fugitive is the power-hungry General Sinclair, a man so consumed by his quest for glory that he is willing to destroy anyone who gets in his way. Now, in order just to survive, the peace-loving Rastafarian must flee into the Jamaican wilderness and share his knowledge of the land with his new American friends. And though Countryman is a gentle soul at heart, he proves capable of unleashing a furious display of acrobatic hand-to-hand combat when forced to fight for what is right. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Reggae star Jimmy Cliff is the principal reason that The Harder They Come was one of the first truly successful films to come out of Jamaica. Cliff plays Ivan, a young would-be singer who finds the going rough when he hits the big city of Kingston. Jailed for participating in a knife fight, Ivan is exploited by a dishonest record-company executive upon his release. Turning his back on the establishment, Ivan becomes involved in the marijuana trade. He keeps the police at arm's length by offering them a slice of the action, but ultimately finds himself in the middle of a bloody raid. Ivan kills several cops and escapes, whereupon the duplicitous record exec releases Ivan's single "The Harder They Come," elevating the fugitive to the status of folk hero. The Harder They Come utilizes a take-no-prisoners approach to its material and presents an unadorned view of the seamier side of Jamaica life. The film resulted in an incredible upsurge in the popularity of reggae music in America; among the highlights in its hit-after-hit score are "You Can Really Get It If You Want It," "Sitting in Limbo," "Johnny Too Bad," and the title song. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi