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Night Catches Us Reviews
A rare sighting of Anthony Mackie in a lead role! Night Catches Us nails its setting of a blue-collar, colored neighborhood where the community is small and tight-knit, however its story fails to grip as much context is not revealed until the final 15 minutes, and we fail to understand why the protagonist is even required to conquer the challenges that the film has him face. The film is helped by a good (not great) performance by Mackie, but overall, despite some really important historical themes, the film somehow feels inconsequential.
Every story has the right to be told and this story is particular is one of the more important ones. A strong direction and heavy themes make this film, with a complex and revealing story that helps this film stick out from the rest of the Civil Right-themed films. A must see
You're not even going to see it, snitch. One day the lights are just going to go out. Taking place in the late 70s, a man returns to his home from the military in the rough parts of Philadelphia. He finds most of his friends targeted by the police and a former crush with a son and too many responsibilities. He is often targeted by a former friend as a possible snitch because of perceived historical events. His crush sees him as a man that runs away from his problems. Can the soldier dealing with his own issues ever fit back into the neighborhood, or will the neighborhood discard him like so many others? "You're all fighting imaginary enemies." Tanya Hamilton, director of an episode of Split Screen, delivers Night Catches Us in her directorial debut. The storyline for this picture is very interesting and the settings and feel for the time period was very good. I did enjoy the characters depicted in this film and the dialogue was compelling and strong. The cast delivers solid performances and includes Kerry Washington, Anthony Mackie, Tariq Trotter, Ron Simons, Jamara Griffin, Sadiq Afif, and Thomas Roy. "The bible verse, I put it back the way it was." I am a fan of Scandal and Kerry Washington and came across this movie while scrolling through Netflix and decided to give it a shot (especially since I had never heard of it). I enjoyed the storyline for this picture and the interactions between characters. This is far from one of the better films in this genre, but it is entertaining and worth watching. I would give this movie at least one viewing but I wouldn't add it to my DVD collection. "We have some constitutional issues here, mother fucker." Grade: B-/B
Excellent film. Can't believe I wasn't aware of it. Tanya Hamilton does a great job of exploring the social-political complexities of the Black-Power movement. Strong, believable performances by Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington. Great period styling and attention to detail. I highly recommend this film.
Powerful message with a flat ending. I still give it 5 stars for bringing to life history that really took place. You always hear stories about the black movement, but you never hear the impact that it has on the Mother, Fathers, Sisters, Brothers, Children and the community. The film did leave me with a lot of unanswered question, but it also left me a with a glimpse of untold story of the families who had to witness such a struggle behind the scenes.
Wow, this could have been better, but instead of developing a solid story the filmmakers seem to have wanted only to make a pseudo-artistic flop with poor dialogue and no direction. It's too bad, because it could have been great.
NIGHT CATCHES US is a gripping film that reminds us of the importance of the Black Panther Movement. Historical distance and changes in this country may have numbed the memory of a social movement as an important racial equality step and the very words 'Black Panther' are unfortunately tainted with the radical ugly aspects. All I know is this is a terrific movie and a must see
Diffuse story; evokes the Seventies well.
I had great expectations for thus movie but I was left deflated & disappointed after watching it.
Interesting film about how your past can catch up to you and the bad feeling when you see someone in the exact same shoes you were in and are powerless to stop it. Film took a long time to actually get interesting, left some plot threads dangling and crammed in a lot of drama at the end, some of which worked. Nice performance by Mackie, though I wish Washington had more to do.
Love a great black led drama and this movie is a great one. Great actors and a great storyline something different from Hollywood's crappy black stereotypical racist comedies they always put blacks in.
I guess it could've delved a little deeper into Black Panther culture than it did, but it's still a beautifully filmed, edited, scored, and acted piece of film.
A must see! One of the best films I have enjoyed on the Black Panthers. Excellent!
Based in the mid-70's, a former Black Panther returns to his old neighborhood to attend a funeral, misses the place and decides he wants to stay. Believed to be a snitch by his former friends, he is an outcast taken in only by Kerry Washington who plays the widow of his best friend and person he purportedly betrayed. An interesting story of racism and how it effects three generations.
Not as dynamic an acting showcase as Anthony Mackie deserves at this point, but in the absence of any other Black Panther movies, an innately interesting subject that has yet to get its cinematic due either, this will do for now.
If you've seen "Casablanca", you'll be reminded of it a lot watching "Night Catches Us". The love triangle aspect, the past romance that never was, and the betrayal. But it is a very different story, and also taking place in 1976. Hamilton's debut is a very good drama, but it just doesn't have that extra punch that should have been. Yeah, the climax of the film is lacking which is the disappointment. But the score by The Roots and the nicely placed 70's soul songs make it an excellent listen.