Back around 2000, I was able to get the director John Landis (National Lampoon’s Animal House) to visit my film school in Winston-Salem. After he was done mentoring classmates, I (and a few pals) ended up taking him to Greensboro for a fun night. We had a long talk in the car. He was pretty open about things including The Twilight Zone disaster. He gave us a warning about what happened that night. He didn’t scoff it off. After that we lightened up the chat by asking why he made Blues Brothers 2000. The movie had been raked over the coals by the critics and just wasn’t as cool as the original film. Landis looked at me and basically said that didn’t matter. The whole point of the movie was letting him and Dan Ackroyd film a few more of their idols performing. They put together a supergroup featuring Gary U.S. Bonds, Eric Clapton, Clarence Clemons, Bo Diddley, Isaac Hayes, Dr. John, B. B. King, Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Preston, Lou Rawls, Paul Shaffer, Koko Taylor, Jimmie Vaughan, Grover Washington Jr. and Steve Winwood. The plot and acting didn’t matter compared to the music. I bring up this talk with Landis because Rockers operates on the same level. This is a movie that’s all about musicians of Jamaica in the late ’70s. There’s a plot, but the story is mainly there to get us closer to the Reggae music that was making a global impact. The actors are mostly musicians including the lead. We see their island life on the screen. Rockers big intention is to make us feel the music as its made.
Horsemouth (Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace) is a reggae drummer in search of another paying gig. His wife (played by his real common law wife Monica “Madgie” Craig) isn’t too happy that he’s broke since they have a few kids to feed at their house. Although he does have enough cash to buy a used motorcycle. The idea being with the motorcycle, he can get around the island faster for gigs and his new venture. He’s going to distribute records to remote shops, DJs and other locations. The 45 singles are hot and prove profitable for Horsemouth. He even gets a gig being a drummer for a resort band. All is looking great for him until things go bad when his bike gets ripped off at a party. He plans on tracking down the thieves.
The plot is rather simple. The acting is not overly dramatic. Horsemouth is best when he’s just being in his zone. But none of that matters because the whole point of Rockers is to enjoy the reggae music coming from the screen and absorb the culture of the Rastas. We’re in Harry J’s Studios watching Kiddus I lay down his vocals for “Graduation In Zion.” This is the same studio that Bob Marley and the Wailers often used. Later Horsemouth gets on the drums at Channel One Studios. Jimmy Cliff recorded here. There’s even a scene inside a record pressing plant so you can see how those precious 45 singles are created. Horsemouth gets inside Randy’s Record Mart which was the record store that had all the platters that mattered in the racks. There are the massive parties with the Sound Systems keeping the crowd hopping with the latest hits. This is a lot of locals only stuff that aren’t part of tourist resort packages. And yes, there’s a lot of smokin’ of the local vegetation.
Rockers is lighter version of Jimmy Cliff’s The Harder They Come movie. Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace is a bit more comedic as he hustles for a living and takes on the people screwing him over. Things get a bit nasty when he uncovers a thievery ring. Most importantly you get the idea that you can party with Horsemouth if he’s drumming at your resort. Rockers is all about leaning back to let the music and the visuals sweep you into the island life.
The Video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The transfer is from a 4K restoration of the original camera negative. You get all the details of Horsemouth’s life. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. The music sounds great no matter which choice. The movie is subtitled which might help figure out the slang.
Blu-ray with the movie and bonus features.
Jah No Dead: The Making of Rockers (119:37) is a feature length exploration of the movie, music and the musicians. Many of the crew share their experiences of working on Rockers in Jamaica in the late ’70s. The film’s soundtrack gets a lot of attention over the decades. They wanted to capture the sights and sounds of being around Kingston, Jamaica in 1977. Kiddus I talks about how the movie captured how the film showed the life. Most of the crew had never been to the island nation before. There’s plenty of behind the scene snapshots.
Interview with Ted Bafaloukos (22:44) has him explain how he ended up in Jamaica making the movie. This is a vintage interview since Ted passed away in 2016.
Interview with Patrick Hulsey (5:12) has the producer talking about the film back in 2001. He’s interviewed in the middle of Times Square. He recounts working with the musicians.
Poster Gallery (1:44) also includes the original radio ad. The posters are colorful.
Selected Scenes Commentary (16:28) has video of the director talking about the film over the clips.
Waiting For the Bus Music Video (2:50) goes into the island forest.
We ‘A’ Rockers Music Video (4:10) has clips from the film.
Theatrical Trailer (2:13) lets us know this is going to be about what it takes to make music in Jamaica. There’s going to be lots of reggae on the screen.
MVD Rewind Collection presents Rockers (4K LaserVision Collection). Directed by Theodoros Bafaloukos. Screenplay by Theodoros Bafaloukos. Starring Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace, Monica “Madgie” Craig, Dirty Harry, Jah Tooth, Robbie Shakespeare, Frank Dowding as Kiddus I, Burning Spear, Big Youth and Prince Hammer. Running Time: 100 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Release Date: February 10, 2026.
