THIRD WORLD COP

The mini-renaissance in homegrown West Indian filmmaking, typified by “Dancehall Queen” (22nd CIFF, 1998) continues in another gritty, energetic movie from the same island production company and directed (his feature debut) by the nephew of Perry Hensell, helmer of the legendary “The Harder They Come.” It's THIRD WORLD COP ? as opposed to Beverly Hills or Robo, yah got that, mon? The untamed streets of Dongle, a slum of Kingston, and the rhythm of reggae are the twin beats for Capone, a top Jamaican police officer who grew up in this wide-open neighborhood and now has a law-enforcement style as unconventional as his name. With friends and enemies on both sides of the force, Capone tries to halt Dongle's escalating plague of gun violence and bring back to the straight-and-narrow a former homeboy who has fallen in with Oney, mastermind of the weapons black-market. Mixing humor, drama, action, music, and, of course, roots, THIRD WORLD COP can protect and serve with the best of them over here in Babylon.