Keeping Jamaica on the big screen

There’s an undeniable pride that fills the hearts of Jamaicans to see our country represented on the big screen. Positioned as the location of choice for many international productions, Jamaica, the beautiful island of vibrant people, has been featured in movies of all genres. Undoubtedly, the inclusion of Jamaican representation in these films, whether through mentions, native actors, the language or Jamaican products like Red Stripe beer, proves that the ‘likkle but tallawah’ island continues to live up to its reputation.

“There’s just something about Jamaica that captures the imagination, and we’re happy that Red Stripe has often been a part of that magnet that pulls movie producers to our shores,” said Nathan Nelms, Red Stripe brand manager. “As the celebration of Jamaica 60 continues, we [reflected] on the films that have featured the brand, helping to advance Jamaica’s recognition around the world.”

Red Stripe’s first major feature around the time of Independence was the 1962 film Dr No, starring Sean Connery as the fictional, now iconic, British secret agent, James Bond. In the film’s plot, Bond travels to Jamaica to investigate the death of an MI6 station chief, which leads to a series of exciting events that gave the film its popularity. Some of the cultural pieces featured included Dunn’s River Falls, Kingston’s bustling streets, and Red Stripe Beer.

Then, in 1991, in his legal thriller The Firm, American author John Grisham wrote about his lead characters, Mitch McDeere and Avery Tolar, enjoying a Red Stripe on the beach. The book was a huge success at the time, selling over 1.5 million copies. Two years later, in 1993, when it was adapted into a movie starring Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman and Jeanne Tripplehorn, Red Stripe was featured once again when Cruise and Hackman enjoyed bottles of the brew. Following the film, consumption of Red Stripe in the United States rose significantly.

The beer also graced the big screen in the 1972 Jamaican crime film The Harder They Come starring Jimmy Cliff; the 1989 film The Mighty Quinn starring Denzel Washington and the 1988 film Cocktail, starring Tom Cruise. Red Stripe has also been featured in more recent flicks like Alice, Tick, Tick … Boom! and Someone Great. Television series that have featured the iconic brew include Friends, Mind Hunter, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Flatbush Misdemeanors, High Fidelity, Russian Doll, and Ballers.

“The Red Stripe team and indeed all Jamaicans are always filled with immense pride whenever the brand makes its way on to the big screen. When this happens, it’s not just Red Stripe that gains recognition, but Jamaica itself as the country from which the beer originates. In this period of national pride and reflection, we are proud that as a brand, we can continue to represent the best of our country,” said Nelms.