Richard Crouse

“Bob Marley: One Love,” a new biopic starring “Peaky Blinders” actor Kingsley Ben-Adir, and now playing in theatres, places the iconic reggae musician’s songs in the personal and political context in which they were written.

By and large the story takes place in the two years after the 1976 assassination attempt on reggae icon Bob Marley (Ben-Adir) at his home compound in Kingston, Jamaica. A decade-and-a-half after the island country declared independence from Great Britain, civil war looms.

After agreeing to perform at Smile Jamaica, a concert intended to counter political violence, Marley found himself caught in the conflict between supporters of Prime Minister Michael Manley’s left-wing People’s National Party (PNP) and the pro-US opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). Two days before the concert, armed gunmen broke into Marley’s home, shooting the musician, wife Rita (Lashana Lynch) and manager Don Taylor (Anthony Welsh).

To ensure the safety of his family, Rita and their children are sent to stay with relatives in America, while Marley and his band, The Wailers, decamp to London. While there, work begins on his career defining “Exodus” album.

Add to that, flashbacks to Marley’s childhood, burgeoning relationship with Rita and a truly wonderful recollection of The Wailing Wailers audition for the Studio One label.

Produced by Marley’s widow Rita, daughter Cedella and son Ziggy, “Bob Marley: One Love” documents how Bob Marley became more than a music star, it’s about how he became a symbol of peace and unity.

“King Richard” director Reinaldo Marcus Green falls prey the usual music bio traps as Marley grapples with his meteoric rise to fame, the expectations of a record company looking for hits and the personal toll from the heat of the increased spotlight, but it is buoyed by the performances and, most of all, the music.

The movie is wall-to-wall with classic Marley tunes, but two performances stand out. The first, a nervous audition at a record label, sees Marley and The Wailing Wailers rip it up with an enthusiastic version of “Simmer Down.” It’s filled with youthful energy, swagger and raw talent.

Later, in London, the adult Marley is struck with the inspiration for one of his best-known songs when he overhears a band mate listening to Ernest Gold and the Sinfonia of London’s soundtrack for the 1960 film “Exodus.” It’s a typical music bio struck-by-inspiration scene, but the experience of watching the song come together, beat by beat, note by note, in the unassuming living room of a London flat is exhilarating.

“Bob Marley: One Love” may not be the in-depth, definitive story of the reggae icon’s life and impact, but it is an entertaining reminder of the mark made by the incredible music Marley left behind.