Night Catches Us (2010)
Average Rating: 6.7/10
Reviews Counted: 49
Fresh: 40 | Rotten: 9
A bold, original debut, Night Catches Us personalizes a tumultuous period in American history thanks to strong performances from Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington.
Average Rating: 6.4/10
Critic Reviews: 16
Fresh: 12 | Rotten: 4
A bold, original debut, Night Catches Us personalizes a tumultuous period in American history thanks to strong performances from Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington.
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Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 1,185
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Movie Info
In 1976, after years of mysterious absence, Marcus (Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Locker") returns to the Philadelphia neighborhood where he came of age in the midst of the Black Power movement. While his arrival raises suspicion among his family and former neighbors, he finds acceptance from his old friend Patricia (Kerry Washington, "Ray," "Lift") and her daughter. However, Marcus quickly finds himself at odds with the organization he once embraced, whose members suspect he orchestrated the
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All Critics (50) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (40) | Rotten (9) | DVD (1)
Tanya Hamilton directed her own script, and though her ending leaves loose ends dangling, the movie is refreshing for its seriousness and originality.
Top CriticExcept for a stellar soundtrack by the Roots, there isn't much here to make anyone overly excited.
As a director, Hamilton makes Liv Ullmann look like an action movie director - and just for the record, Ullmann makes Ingmar Bergman look like Jerry Bruckheimer.
Its rhythm forces audiences to pay attention to what its superb actors express non-verbally, and to measure the weight of the characters' past lives.
The film leads to no showy conclusion, no spectacular climax. It is about movement possible within the soul even in difficult times.
Night Catches Us, a politically sophisticated and ethically serious film, makes no big speeches or obvious points.
...Night Catches Us has a lived-in, almost languid feel, with artistic cinematography by David Tumblety capturing moments that are as perfectly framed as still photographs.
February 1, 2011 Writer-director Tanya Hamilton and two of today's most gifted actors have produced a sensitive drama with a powerful conclusion.
Tanya Hamilton's Night Catches Us, a snapshot of the post-Black Power movement era, suffers most from its structural deficiencies.
Writer-director Tanya Hamilton has crafted an intriguing narrative even if she struggles to realize it onscreen.
Attempts to pry the lid off a painful chapter of American history that textbook writers and elected officials would rather erase or whitewash.
This is just another reminder there is a whole pool of acting talent in America, almost a whole film industry, that white audiences are largely unaware of.
The real story here is the arrival of (director Tanya) Hamilton.
Washington and Mackie both deliver deeply-felt performances in roles that are all about nuance, particularly when the text sometimes fails them.
works in maddening shades of gray and pure, compelling lyricism to tell a tragic story about events that are neither right nor wrong, but somewhere in between
An excellent achievement for its ability to weave so many complex themes and shades of gray with such poise.
Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington nearly rescue the piece but it just doesn't come together into anything memorable enough to recommend.
Audience Reviews for Night Catches Us
Super Reviewer
"Night Catches Us" is a modest little drama, that while not striking out any new territory, still manages to tell an engaging story with the help of a good cast. Of special note, is how history repeats itself because of how it has been distorted in the first place. Marcus returns to a neighborhood that has hardly changed from the one he recalls where the police unceremoniously harass blacks, no matter the reason. That's why the Black Panthers came to prominence in the first place, as a self-defense and community organization meant to convey a force of strength, not violence, against oppressors.
Super Reviewer
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- Marcus: Look, I'll only be here for a week. Then I'll be gone.
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- Patricia: That's not who we were. That's not what we did.
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December 3, 2010:
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Instead of leaving after the funeral, Marcus tries to reconcile the past, primarily by reconnecting with the only person who treats him warmly- he widow of the man he is suspected of snitching on.
The film is, more than anything, a human drama about life choices and looking at the impact of the Black Power movement in broad strokes. When I first heard about this movie, I was under the impression that it was focused on the Movement and the Panthers, and that's what got me interested. That it is instead a more reflective look at that era is somewhat disappointing, but still interesting. Considering that there's really not a lot of cinema concerning Black Power, I guess this will do for the time being.
As a debut feature, this is rather competent. I think more justice could have been done to the subject, especially since this film skirts around the issues broadly, but it does have ambitions and isn't completely hollow, so that's good. It's not the acting showcase it could have been either, but the performances are still pretty decent, even if the base material is just a variation on stuff that we've seen many times before.
It's well shot, and gives a good glimpse into 70s Philly, so I think that those who dig movies that portray specific places at specific times will probably be happy here. As a nice treat, we also get a decent score from alternative hip-hop giants The Roots.
The film is flawed and not what it should be (in my mind), but it is entertaining, decently made, and does provide some substance to chew on, so give it a watch.