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No stranger to the political thriller, director Phillip Noyce tackles apartheid and terrorism with experienced gusto, while Derek Luke and Tim Robbins hand in nuanced performances. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
Patrick Chamusso (Derek Luke), an apolitical black South African who works at an oil refinery, becomes a freedom fighter for the ANC after a brutal run-in with a government terror squad. Patrick stages daring solo attacks against the apartheid regime, even as a policeman (Tim Robbins) worms his way into the lives of Patrick and his family.
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Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Material|Brief Language|Violence)
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Genre: Drama, Mystery & thriller
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Original Language: English
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Director: Phillip Noyce
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Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Anthony Minghella, Robyn Slovo
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Writer: Shawn Slovo
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Release Date (Theaters): wide
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $4.3M
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Focus Features
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Production Co: Mirage Enterprises, Working Title Films
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Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby SRD
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Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)
Cast & Crew
News & Interviews for Catch a Fire
Critic Reviews for Catch a Fire
Audience Reviews for Catch a Fire
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In watching the compelling Apartheid-set bio-pic Catch a Fire, one cannot help but think back to Cry Freedom, Richard Attenborough's poignant but overlong portrait of slain non-violent South African activist Steven Biko (Denzel Washington) and his unlikely friendship with a white reporter (Kevin Kline). With Fire, director Phillip Noyce tackles the other side of the coin, chronicling the rise of an anti-apartheid "terrorist" and his antagonistic relationship with a white colonel, all within a breezy running time that keeps the action taut. In this R-rated South African-set thriller, hard-working family man Patrick Chamusso (Luke) truly turns revolutionary after he is wrongly accused and tortured for a crime by Police Security Branch operative Nic Vos (Robbins) in the early '80s. No stranger to political intrigue, Noyce (Patriot Games, Rabbit-Proof Fence) presents a 1980s-set true story made all the more timely by the events of September 11, a point he capitalizes on. After Vos (representing foreign govt.) tortures the innocent Chamusso (representing persecuted natives), the latter's motives for turning radically political become starkly obvious, paralleling a certain Western power's occupation of modern-day Iraq. Catch a Fire also gives a powerful combo in Robbins and Luke, who bring their respective characters' moral ambiguity to light with a gripping intensity--perhaps too well. Noyce shows us family man Chamusso's philandering while concurrently portraying Vos's nearly perfect home life with middling results. As the real-life Chamusso's appearance at the end makes clear, this is HIS story, not that of the top-billed Robbins. Perhaps, Focus Features just wanted to get their money's worth out of the Oscar-winner. Bottom line: Once you catch it, you won't let go.
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3 3/4's..Decent bio-drama. A little rough around the edges, but decently done. Derek Luke does a fine job. The story of what happened in this country is never a dull one.
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Liloh: <i>And I realized nothing has changed. And I dont think South Africa will be ever Free from Whites and their terror against em.</I> This Movie was more than just a Movie. A great Friends recommendation and long review on her experience and the review on the movie made me watch this Movie twice. Thank you Lilo
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A well-documented thriller that features a powerhouse performance from Derek Luke as a man descending into hatred and rebellion after government wrecks his ideal life apart. Robbins gives a very restrained performance in this one, a little too restrained for my taste, however, this movie is all about Luke. It's a familiar setting, with a few turns in the plot that I didn't completely buy into, however, the positives outweigh the negatives here. The ending packs a swift emotional blow, especially seeing Luke being able to interact with the real Patrick Chamusso at the end of the film.
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