The Harder They Come

From 1972 this movie is like a matinee cops and robbers movie set in Trenchtown Jamaica amid gangland warfare, the music scene and daily life among the dispossessed. The central character Ivan, was a figure in the underworld during the 1940's. Wiki Ivanhoe Martin is a poor Jamaican man in search of a job, before finally getting one as a reggae singer. Upon the verge of a hit record, he discovers the only way he can get a hit record is by signing away the rights. Eventually, Jose (played by Carl Bradshaw), one of the first people he met after he moved to Kingston, offers him an opportunity dealing marijuana. He turns to a life of crime and violence.
The last ten minutes of the film consist of Ivan swimming towards a speeding ship which would take him to safety. However, he can not grab onto the ladder dangled off the side, and he opens his eyes to find himself beached ashore. He sleeps in the shade of a tree then wakes, alerted to the presence of policemen with rifles. He comes out and lowers his revolvers, but the police shoot him many times and the film ends abruptly, cutting to the credits. He is presumed dead.
The soundtrack is a collection of seminal reggae bands and the star,Jimmy Cliff is a brilliant choice for the lead. Definitely de riguer.