By: Jesse Striewski
Those who know me well, know by now I’m a sucker for a good biography – whether it be via print or film – and Bob Marley: One Love is certainly no exception to that. And with similarities to such other bio pics as the 2018 Queen-based film Bohemian Rhapsody, it was hard not to get instantly lost in the story line here.
With a brief message from Marley’s own son Ziggy himself on the big screen prior to the film confirming its legitimacy, I immediately had a good feeling about things. And although I wasn’t too privy to the previous work of Kingsley Ben-Adir, he does a stellar job in the title role, along with Lashana Lynch as his counterpart Rita Marley.
Rather than starting directly from scratch, the filmmakers decided to begin with the assassination attempt of Marley in his home in 1976, and viewers are instantly invested. From there, it follows Marley and the band recording the Exodus album in London, England (the brief scene featuring a show with The Clash is an especially memorable one), to his eventual cancer diagnosis, and inevitable early death in 1981.
The film also employees the use of flashbacks for key childhood moments in Marley’s life, reminiscent of 1991’s The Doors, among other films. By the time we reach the end credits (which simultaneously show footage of Marley in concert), it’s difficult to maintain one’s composure to say the least. Truly worth the journey if you’re a fan in any way.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
