`Third World Cop' notable for novelty of its setting

Movie review

XX "Third World Cop," with Paul Campbell, Mark Danvers, Audrey Reid, Carl Bradshaw. Directed by Chris Browne, from a script by Browne, Suzanne Fenn and Chris Salewicz. 98 minutes. Varsity, 9 p.m. only daily. "R" - Restricted because of violence, some strong sexuality, language and drug content.

The accents are so thick that the English dialogue is occasionally subtitled, but otherwise "Third World Cop" is a standard vigilante-cop drama.

It's chiefly of interest for the novelty of its setting: contemporary Kingston, Jamaica, where a brutal maverick cop, Capone (Paul Campbell), has been transferred. He's been informed that while his methods of crime-fighting may be effective, "they're not always right."

No kidding. Capone seems to live to kill, challenging criminals to pull a gun on him. Like the gunfighters who lived longest in the old West, he's always the fastest draw.

Kingston happens to be Capone's hometown. He looks up his old pals in the slums, where they're not exactly operating on his side of the law. Chief among his childhood friends is Ratty (Mark Danvers), whom he addresses as "little brother," though it's clear from their first conversation that Ratty can no longer be part of Capone's extended family.

The charismatic Danvers walks off with the movie. Recalling Samuel L. Jackson's character in "Pulp Fiction," he quotes from the Bible, using scripture to excuse his outrages and create a sense of authority. At one point he rips a page from Psalms and uses it to wrap a reefer. Then he literally cites the chapter and verse. Ecclesiastes later fills a more serious function.

These rare inspired moments are tied directly to a plot about guns being smuggled into Kingston in barrels addressed to various churches. But most of the film is so familiar that the veiled threats and gun battles have little dramatic impact.

"Third World Cop" was shot cheaply with digital cameras by the producers of "Dancehall Queen," which starred Campbell as a similarly ruthless character. The first-time director, Chris Browne, is the nephew of Perry Henzell, who directed Jimmy Cliff's 1973 reggae hit, "The Harder They Come."

Browne interviewed Kingston police to supplement the script. One of the actors, Desmond Ballentine (a k a Ninjaman), was in jail on murder charges by the time the movie premiered.

"Third World Cop" was a substantial box-office hit last year in Kingston, where it became the highest-grossing Jamaican film to date. The American release of the reggae/hip-hop soundtrack album also drew some attention last year. The picture itself now seems an afterthought.