Photo Credit: Album / Alamy
Set against the lush landscapes of Jamaica, Countryman follows a Rastafarian fisherman who rescues two American travelers after their aircraft crashes near the island’s coastline. As government forces and mysterious pursuers close in, Countryman uses his deep connection to nature, spirituality, and the land to guide the pair to safety. Blending adventure, mysticism, and Rastafarian philosophy, the film is celebrated for its stunning scenery and memorable reggae soundtrack.
FILM DETAILS
RELEASE DATE: March, 1982
RUNTIME: 1h 42m
GENRE: Drama
STARRING: Countryman, Hiram Keller, Kristina St. Clair
DIRECTOR: Dickie Jobson
SCREENPLAY: Dickie Jobson, Michael Thomas
STORY: Dickie Jobson
PRODUCER: Chris Blackwell
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Stephane Sperry
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Dominique Chapuis
EDITORS: Peter Boyle, John Victor Smith
MUSIC BY: Wally Badarou
About Dickie Jobson
Dickie Jobson was the director behind Countryman, the visually rich Jamaican adventure film that blended roots reggae, mysticism, politics, and island folklore into something entirely its own. A filmmaker, writer, and cultural figure deeply connected to Jamaica’s music and creative life, Jobson approached the film with an understanding that reggae was never just sound — it was atmosphere, spirituality, rebellion, and identity. That sensibility runs through every frame of Countryman, turning the film into both a political thriller and a celebration of Jamaica’s natural and cultural landscape.
Dickie Jobson
Under Jobson’s direction, Countryman became more than a story about a fisherman helping two outsiders evade corrupt authorities. It became a meditation on freedom, intuition, and resistance, carried by the magnetic presence of its lead and elevated by a soundtrack featuring some of reggae’s most important voices. The result is one of the most distinctive films in reggae cinema — a work that feels grounded in roots culture while drifting through the island with the rhythm of a dream.
By the time Dickie Jobson wrote and directed Countryman, he had already played an important role in reggae’s international rise as an early manager of Bob Marley & The Wailers, a connection that echoes throughout the film’s spirit and soundtrack.
WATCH:
Countryman
SOUNDTRACK
The soundtrack to Countryman is steeped in roots reggae, spiritual vibration, and Jamaican soul, with songs from Bob Marley, Toots & The Maytals, and Lee “Scratch” Perry helping shape the film’s meditative, rebellious spirit.
TRACK LIST
“Natural Mystic” – Bob Marley & The Wailers
“Rastaman Chant” – Bob Marley & The Wailers
“Theme From Countryman” – Wally Badarou
“Rat Race” – Bob Marley & The Wailers
“Jah Live” – Bob Marley & The Wailers
“Ramble” – Rico
“Rebel Music (3 O’Clock Roadblock)” – Bob Marley & The Wailers
“Sound System” – Steel Pulse
“Mosman Skank” – Aswad
“Small Axe” – Bob Marley & The Wailers
“Sitting and Watching” – Dennis Brown
“Bam Bam” – Toots & The Maytals
“Ooh Aah!” – Fabulous Five
“Wisdom” – Jah Lion
“Carry Us Beyond” – Human Cargo
“Dreadlocks In Moonlight” – Lee “Scratch” Perry
“Time Will Tell” – Bob Marley & The Wailers
