The 1973 Jamaican movie “The Harder They Come” was a hybrid crime drama and musical with an irresistible premise: a singer hits the top of the pop charts at the same time he hits the top of the most-wanted list. Starring the reggae stalwart Jimmy Cliff, the movie was directed by Perry Henzell; Chris Blackwell, whose Island Records was instrumental in introducing reggae to the United States and Britain, was a producer.

[Read J. Hoberman’s Rewind column on “The Harder They Come,” also in theaters this week.]

After that landmark film, Henzell began work on “ No Place Like Home ,” which is finally opening this week in New York. He was never able to complete it to his satisfaction, but a cut was shown in festivals before his death in 2006. This version is a new restoration of that cut.

While “The Harder They Come” had a trim and nearly relentless story, this movie’s eschewal of narrative momentum can hardly be understated. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing going on.