# Third World Cop (1999)

### reviewed by
Brian Matherly

    Third World Cop (2000)
    Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.0 stars

Cast: Paul Campbell, Mark Danvers, Carl Bradshaw, Audrey Reid, Winston Bell, Lenford Salmon, Desmond Ballentine (a.k.a. Ninjaman) Written by: Suzanne Fenn, Chris Browne, and Chris Salewicz Directed by: Chris Browne Running Time: 98 minutes

`We run tings. Tings don't run we.' -Sound advice from Capone (Paul Campbell) to his squaddie (or partner), Floyd (Winston Bell).

Jamaican film, shot entirely on video, featuring a standard cop movie plot mixed with a dash of John Woo-styled brotherhood morals (and a little gunplay). Capone, a tough as nails super cop, gets a transfer back to his hometown of Kingston after successfully taking down some gangsters that have broken into his home (while he was with his lady) and killed his partner in front of him. When he arrives, he discovers that the ghetto where he grew up has gotten worse, thanks mainly to the crime boss Wonie (Jamaican film veteran Carl Bradshaw), so named because his left hand has been amputated and replaced by a grasping hook). Capone discovers that Wonie has been smuggling guns inside shipments of charity supplies for the area churches and, much to his disappointment, also finds out his childhood friend Ratty (Mark Danvers) has been helping him. Torn between doing his job and protecting his best friend, Capone must make some hard decisions in order to make things right again.

Directed deftly by first time Jamaican filmmaker Chris Browne (assistant director for such American films as How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Instinct), one hardly notices the film was shot on video after a while. Shots are handled so efficiently that they quickly take on the nuances of the aforementioned John Woo films, although the action isn't as hyperkinetic as most of Woo's films are. The action scenes are handled with a kind of flair though, and eventually begin to take on a life of their own (beyond the Hong Kong films that they are obviously patterned after). The make-up effects are particularly good in these scenes as well, with flawless squib work on display from the effects team.

The cast is superb and listening to their dialogue, spoken with thick Jamaican accents (half of which have to be subtitled because of their extensive use of slang), just adds to the interest. Paul Campbell, as the `loose cannon' Capone, essays his role perfectly, displaying the right amount of menace and compassion at the right times. Mark Danvers evokes sympathy as Ratty, the part-time gun smuggler who is also trying to help the community by building football fields and organizing block parties to bring people together. Unfortunately, Carl Bradshaw is given the least to do and his character as the crime boss seems ineffective (largely because his underlings seem to run all over him), but then again, that could be the way his character was intended to be portrayed.

The music in the film is composed of all reggae songs, and the soundtrack was produced by Grammy Award winning artists, Sly and Robbie (who have worked with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Maxi Priest, Bob Dylan, James Brown, Grace Jones, Herbie Hancock, Bootsy Collins, and Carly Simon among others). The end credit song, `We Run Tings', by the group Red Dragon, is pretty decent and carries on the theme of the movie established early on by the quote that opens this review. Oddly enough, Desmond Ballentine (who plays the character Deportee) is well known as a pioneer in the realm of `gangsta' reggae as the performer Ninjaman, and he doesn't contribute a single song to the film (that I could see), which is virtually unheard of here in the US.

At the time of this writing, Third World Cop has been put into limited theatrical release in the US, coming off of a six-month box-office breaking run in Jamaica, where it holds the position as highest grossing film of all time (bringing in $21 million in Jamaica, which is roughly $500,000 US). Palm Pictures (the company that released the offbeat, but entertaining Six-String Samurai) is the company releasing the film and considering that their main focus is the DVD market, I can imagine that a disc will be available once the film has left theaters. Chris Blackwell, founder of Palm Pictures, was also involved in the production of another Jamaican box-office smash in 1981 entitled Countryman, so I'd say he has a pretty good track record.

Overall, Third World Cop is a pretty entertaining homage to the films of John Woo, Ringo Lam, Tsui Hark, and many other action films by directors from Hong Kong. If action films are your thing and you don't mind intermittent subtitles, then you can't go wrong with this film. The performances and the story are solid (if only a little cliched) and the action is tight. I'm not sure what the other Jamaican films released in that country are like, but apparently Third World Cop's honors are well deserved.

Brian Matherly - bmath2000@hotmail.com The Jacksonville Film Journal - http://www.jaxfilmjournal.com/

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