David Tumblety’s languid cinematography brings the film beautifully to life, with moments rendered almost like the still photography of the era.

Full Review | Feb 13, 2024

Although Night Catches Us feels scattershot, Hamilton peppers the movie with some indelible moments.

| Original Score: 2.9/5 | Oct 29, 2019

The result is a personal work of art rather than a docudrama, and it was a stirring début for Hamilton ...

| Oct 9, 2017

Night Catches Us shouldn't be confused for something as blanket as "that black panther movie" or even a political movie, but more like a story about what it really takes to move on when you're so stuck on here.

| Original Score: A | Sep 9, 2017

For those people who are looking for a revealing glimpse into that social/political/cultural movement, this poorly conceived ode to the Panthers is not illuminating.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Nov 8, 2016

The script undercuts the measured performances with blunt, melodramatic proclamations.

Full Review | May 3, 2015

Despite some on-the-nose dialogue and a needless revelatory flourish toward the end, Hamilton gets at the strangeness of lived American history, in which violent ruptures leave behind poorly understood scars.

| Jul 1, 2013

...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.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Oct 18, 2012

| Original Score: B+ | Feb 14, 2012

| Original Score: B+ | Sep 7, 2011

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 4, 2011

February 1, 2011 Writer-director Tanya Hamilton and two of today's most gifted actors have produced a sensitive drama with a powerful conclusion.

| Original Score: B+ | Feb 3, 2011

Tanya Hamilton's Night Catches Us, a snapshot of the post-Black Power movement era, suffers most from its structural deficiencies.

| Original Score: 54/100 | Jan 7, 2011

Writer-director Tanya Hamilton has crafted an intriguing narrative even if she struggles to realize it onscreen.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 7, 2011

Tanya Hamilton directed her own script, and though her ending leaves loose ends dangling, the movie is refreshing for its seriousness and originality.

| Jan 3, 2011

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jan 3, 2011

Attempts to pry the lid off a painful chapter of American history that textbook writers and elected officials would rather erase or whitewash.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 26, 2010

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.

| Original Score: B | Dec 23, 2010

The real story here is the arrival of (director Tanya) Hamilton.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Dec 18, 2010

Washington and Mackie both deliver deeply-felt performances in roles that are all about nuance, particularly when the text sometimes fails them.

| Original Score: 6.8/10 | Dec 17, 2010