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Editorial Reviews
In 1976, after years of mysterious absence, Marcus 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 and her daughter. However, Marcus quickly finds himself at odds with the organization he once embraced, whose members suspect he orchestrated the slaying of their former comrade-in-arms. In a startling sequence of events, Marcus must protect a secret that could shatter everyone's beliefs, as he rediscovers his forbidden passion for Patricia.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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. But Tanya Hamilton has written and directed this compelling movie NIGHT CATCHES US and hopefully the core meaning of the movement will gain respect in the minds of those fortunate to see this brilliant little film. In order to help those who are unfamiliar with this movement a brief history may help appreciate this film. 'The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was an African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from the mid-1960s into the 1970s. The Black Panther Party achieved national and international impact through their deep involvement in the Black Power movement and in US politics of the 1960s and 70s, as the intense anti-racism of the time is today considered one of the most significant social, political and cultural currents in US history. The group's "provocative rhetoric, militant posture, and cultural and political flourishes permanently altered the contours of American Identity. Founded in Oakland, California, by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton on October 15, 1966, the organization initially set forth a doctrine calling primarily for the protection of African American neighborhoods from police brutality. But the Black Panther Party's objectives and philosophy expanded and evolved rapidly during the party's existence. The organization's leaders passionately espoused socialist and communist (largely Maoist) doctrines, but the Party's black nationalist reputation attracted an ideologically diverse membership. Ideological consensus within the party was difficult to achieve, and some prominent members openly disagreed with the views of the leaders.'
The year is 1976 and Marcus Washington (Anthony Mackie, in a brilliant role) returns to Philadelphia after serving a jail term. He is without a job or place to stay and his father has just died, leaving the old family house to his brother who has sold it. Marcus sees his old friend Pattie -now Patricia - Wilson (Kerry Washington, likewise in a moving performance) who had been married to and had a child Iris (Jamara Griffin) by his best friend who was brutally murdered by the police in his own home. Marcus' arrival in the neighborhood (essentially unchanged from the height of the Black Panther days) and branded a 'Snitch' by his old friends: they believe Marcus informed the police of his friend's killing of a police officer and blame his friend's death on him. Patricia is now a lawyer and spends her days defending young black men and her time off supplying food and shelter to the parentless children of the neighborhood. Her nephew Jimmy (Amari Cheatom) has inherited the anger of the past and Patricia must frequently bail him out of jail for arrests for 'verbal abuse' of police officers. Though Patricia has a live-in lawyer boyfriend Carey Ford (Ron Simons) who helps her in her drive to better the lives of the neighborhood, once Patricia and Marcus rekindle their past friendship (and more), Carey moves out and Marcus moves in. Together Marcus and Patricia share the cause of the death of Iris' father with the bright young girl, an incident that draws the three of them closer. But old hates still exist and the bloody aspects of the Panther Movement appear to rekindle because of Marcus' presence. Marcus is approached by a black police captain Wendell Pierce (David Gordon) to infiltrate Marcus major enemy 'Do Right' Miller (Jamie Hector), but Marcus sees through the age old struggle between the neighborhood and the police, remembers the anguish of the past, and refuses to carry out the planting of evidence. After a scene of the Truth in the retelling of the history of Iris' father's murder - Patricia and Marcus finally face the past - and Marcus moves on.
To give more details of the story would distract from the power of the message. This is a movie that simply should be seen to put that period of time in perspective. The cast is particularly fine, not only Mackie and Washington, but also the young and very talented Amari Cheatom among others. One wonders why the sound track doesn't reflect the music from that period, instead using contemporary rap music, but that is a very small defect in an otherwise VERY fine film. Grady Harp, December 10
The year is 1976 and Marcus Washington (Anthony Mackie, in a brilliant role) returns to Philadelphia after serving a jail term. He is without a job or place to stay and his father has just died, leaving the old family house to his brother who has sold it. Marcus sees his old friend Pattie -now Patricia - Wilson (Kerry Washington, likewise in a moving performance) who had been married to and had a child Iris (Jamara Griffin) by his best friend who was brutally murdered by the police in his own home. Marcus' arrival in the neighborhood (essentially unchanged from the height of the Black Panther days) and branded a 'Snitch' by his old friends: they believe Marcus informed the police of his friend's killing of a police officer and blame his friend's death on him. Patricia is now a lawyer and spends her days defending young black men and her time off supplying food and shelter to the parentless children of the neighborhood. Her nephew Jimmy (Amari Cheatom) has inherited the anger of the past and Patricia must frequently bail him out of jail for arrests for 'verbal abuse' of police officers. Though Patricia has a live-in lawyer boyfriend Carey Ford (Ron Simons) who helps her in her drive to better the lives of the neighborhood, once Patricia and Marcus rekindle their past friendship (and more), Carey moves out and Marcus moves in. Together Marcus and Patricia share the cause of the death of Iris' father with the bright young girl, an incident that draws the three of them closer. But old hates still exist and the bloody aspects of the Panther Movement appear to rekindle because of Marcus' presence. Marcus is approached by a black police captain Wendell Pierce (David Gordon) to infiltrate Marcus major enemy 'Do Right' Miller (Jamie Hector), but Marcus sees through the age old struggle between the neighborhood and the police, remembers the anguish of the past, and refuses to carry out the planting of evidence. After a scene of the Truth in the retelling of the history of Iris' father's murder - Patricia and Marcus finally face the past - and Marcus moves on.
To give more details of the story would distract from the power of the message. This is a movie that simply should be seen to put that period of time in perspective. The cast is particularly fine, not only Mackie and Washington, but also the young and very talented Amari Cheatom among others. One wonders why the sound track doesn't reflect the music from that period, instead using contemporary rap music, but that is a very small defect in an otherwise VERY fine film. Grady Harp, December 10
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By T. Brunson
Format:DVD
The filmmaker perfectly caught the look and feel of early 1970's Philadelphia. The acting by all was superb. Kerry Washington's acting was excellent and was the entire cast. The story was excellent and paced very well right up until the secret revealed at the end. It left you wanting more but...not really...It was a great ending for a great film. The soundtrack was EXCELLENT !!!! You must see this movie.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well balanced take on the legacy of the 60s black power movement
February 20, 2011
By Turfseer
Format:DVD
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
One of the problems with many of the indie films out today is that the screenwriters have a great deal of trouble developing an organic, inter-connected plot. I'm pleased to report that Tanya Hamilton, writer/director of 'Night Catches Us', the new inner city drama set in 1976 Philadelphia, has no such problem. What's particularly impressive about Ms. Hamilton's skill as a screenwriter, is that she's able to juggle a multitude of characters, connecting them at the same time to a story that spans over a decade in time. Even better, Hamilton has a prescient, balanced view of race relations in America. She doesn't take sides and adroitly points out both the strengths and shortcomings of the various players on each side of the racial divide.
Hamilton's clever plot revolves around the return of former Black Panther, Marcus Washington (played by Anthony Mackie, in an excellent, understated performance), to his old neighborhood. Marcus is not your typical knight in shining armor protagonist, as he has a checkered past, having just gotten out of prison for selling guns. His father, a successful preacher has just passed away, and his brother Bostic, now a Black Muslim, regards Marcus as a troublemaker, and bars him from staying at the family home, which has just been willed to him. Marcus has even bigger problems with his old Panther buddies, particularly 'DoRight', now a gang leader, who calls him a 'snitch' and blames him for the death of an old Panther buddy, killed by the police. It seems that DoRight's buddy was married to Patricia, who Marcus was involved with years earlier.
Patricia is also a complex character. She's now an activist attorney for the black community and is raising her nine year old daughter, Iris, on her own. She can't say no to her ne'er-do-well brother, Jimmy, who collects and sells cans to survive and also has a big chip on his shoulder toward the police. Along with Jimmy, Patricia now invites Marcus to also stay in her house; as a result, her live-in boyfriend packs his bags and leaves. At first, Patricia will not tell Iris anything about what happened to her father but eventually it's revealed that after murdering a cop in retaliation for the murder of two Black Panthers, he was given up by Marcus to the police in order to prevent Patricia from being arrested and Iris taken into the foster care system.
The plot thickens when Jimmy picks a fight with some cops and Marcus and Iris are on the scene witnessing the confrontation. Before that incident escalates, DoRight's henchmen fire shots at Marcus from a passing car; the police, believing they are under fire, chase the henchmen in their patrol car. As a result of this incident, a black detective, David Gordon, approaches Marcus and wants him to plant a gun at a bar where DoRight hangs out. In Hamilton's view, it's not only the white cops who are capable of resorting to illegal means to enforce the law. During this scene in which Gordon approaches Marcus, he also reveals that it was actually Patricia who gave up her husband years ago and not Marcus. Marcus opts not to plant the gun and informs DoRight of the police plot.
Just as Patricia recognized that her husband had to pay for his crimes a decade earlier, she comes to agree with Marcus that Jimmy is full or rage and needs to leave the home. Jimmy, now enamored with the Black Panthers after reading some old comic books about the Panthers that Marcus gave to Iris as a present, decides to take revenge on a white cop that harassed him. Jimmy buys a gun and shoots the cop while he's sitting in his patrol car. Patricia's home is invaded by cops during the manhunt for the cop's killer and Marcus is roughed up. Eventually, the police find Jimmy hiding in some bushes and kill him. The film ends with Marcus getting a new job out of state and leaving, as Patricia is unable to turn her back on her commitments to the community in Philadelphia.
Instead of resorting to flashbacks to explain the back story, Hamilton intersperses film clips from the 60s, giving us a taste of the atmosphere engendered with the rise of the Black Panther movement. The excesses of law enforcement are duly noted, especially when it's revealed that Patricia has been the subject of FBI surveillance. As noted above, the police are prone to use excessive force whether provoked or not. Hamilton also doesn't shy away from pointing out the scourge of black on black violence, which is relevant to our own times.
If the film has any shortcomings, it might be the decision to shoot it, in what appears to be high definition. I would have preferred to see the action shot on film stock or with a lens that recreates the era in which the film takes place. Even though this was supposed to be 1976 Philadelphia, it just didn't appear that we were watching scenes from that era. And it seemed rather abrupt how Jimmy shoots the police officer and then is killed in turn. I would have imagined that he might have hooked up with others before deciding to kill the officer or at least formulated some kind of plan of escape. I suppose we'll have to be satisfied with the explanation that this was an impulsive act of a mentally unbalanced young man.
I've seen quite a number of independent films nominated for a Spirit Award so far this year, and I must say that 'Night Catches Us' is one of the stronger entries. I hope the powers that be in the film industry take notice of Tanya Hamilton whose considerable talent should be promoted by them in the future.
One of the problems with many of the indie films out today is that the screenwriters have a great deal of trouble developing an organic, inter-connected plot. I'm pleased to report that Tanya Hamilton, writer/director of 'Night Catches Us', the new inner city drama set in 1976 Philadelphia, has no such problem. What's particularly impressive about Ms. Hamilton's skill as a screenwriter, is that she's able to juggle a multitude of characters, connecting them at the same time to a story that spans over a decade in time. Even better, Hamilton has a prescient, balanced view of race relations in America. She doesn't take sides and adroitly points out both the strengths and shortcomings of the various players on each side of the racial divide.
Hamilton's clever plot revolves around the return of former Black Panther, Marcus Washington (played by Anthony Mackie, in an excellent, understated performance), to his old neighborhood. Marcus is not your typical knight in shining armor protagonist, as he has a checkered past, having just gotten out of prison for selling guns. His father, a successful preacher has just passed away, and his brother Bostic, now a Black Muslim, regards Marcus as a troublemaker, and bars him from staying at the family home, which has just been willed to him. Marcus has even bigger problems with his old Panther buddies, particularly 'DoRight', now a gang leader, who calls him a 'snitch' and blames him for the death of an old Panther buddy, killed by the police. It seems that DoRight's buddy was married to Patricia, who Marcus was involved with years earlier.
Patricia is also a complex character. She's now an activist attorney for the black community and is raising her nine year old daughter, Iris, on her own. She can't say no to her ne'er-do-well brother, Jimmy, who collects and sells cans to survive and also has a big chip on his shoulder toward the police. Along with Jimmy, Patricia now invites Marcus to also stay in her house; as a result, her live-in boyfriend packs his bags and leaves. At first, Patricia will not tell Iris anything about what happened to her father but eventually it's revealed that after murdering a cop in retaliation for the murder of two Black Panthers, he was given up by Marcus to the police in order to prevent Patricia from being arrested and Iris taken into the foster care system.
The plot thickens when Jimmy picks a fight with some cops and Marcus and Iris are on the scene witnessing the confrontation. Before that incident escalates, DoRight's henchmen fire shots at Marcus from a passing car; the police, believing they are under fire, chase the henchmen in their patrol car. As a result of this incident, a black detective, David Gordon, approaches Marcus and wants him to plant a gun at a bar where DoRight hangs out. In Hamilton's view, it's not only the white cops who are capable of resorting to illegal means to enforce the law. During this scene in which Gordon approaches Marcus, he also reveals that it was actually Patricia who gave up her husband years ago and not Marcus. Marcus opts not to plant the gun and informs DoRight of the police plot.
Just as Patricia recognized that her husband had to pay for his crimes a decade earlier, she comes to agree with Marcus that Jimmy is full or rage and needs to leave the home. Jimmy, now enamored with the Black Panthers after reading some old comic books about the Panthers that Marcus gave to Iris as a present, decides to take revenge on a white cop that harassed him. Jimmy buys a gun and shoots the cop while he's sitting in his patrol car. Patricia's home is invaded by cops during the manhunt for the cop's killer and Marcus is roughed up. Eventually, the police find Jimmy hiding in some bushes and kill him. The film ends with Marcus getting a new job out of state and leaving, as Patricia is unable to turn her back on her commitments to the community in Philadelphia.
Instead of resorting to flashbacks to explain the back story, Hamilton intersperses film clips from the 60s, giving us a taste of the atmosphere engendered with the rise of the Black Panther movement. The excesses of law enforcement are duly noted, especially when it's revealed that Patricia has been the subject of FBI surveillance. As noted above, the police are prone to use excessive force whether provoked or not. Hamilton also doesn't shy away from pointing out the scourge of black on black violence, which is relevant to our own times.
If the film has any shortcomings, it might be the decision to shoot it, in what appears to be high definition. I would have preferred to see the action shot on film stock or with a lens that recreates the era in which the film takes place. Even though this was supposed to be 1976 Philadelphia, it just didn't appear that we were watching scenes from that era. And it seemed rather abrupt how Jimmy shoots the police officer and then is killed in turn. I would have imagined that he might have hooked up with others before deciding to kill the officer or at least formulated some kind of plan of escape. I suppose we'll have to be satisfied with the explanation that this was an impulsive act of a mentally unbalanced young man.
I've seen quite a number of independent films nominated for a Spirit Award so far this year, and I must say that 'Night Catches Us' is one of the stronger entries. I hope the powers that be in the film industry take notice of Tanya Hamilton whose considerable talent should be promoted by them in the future.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great film. Incredible music.
If the story feels slow, stick with it. There are a few incredible twists in this story.
Major highlight of the movie is the music. Read more
Major highlight of the movie is the music. Read more
Published 19 days ago by H. Charton
4.0 out of 5 stars
I really appreciated...
... how this movie presented not only some insight to what the Black Panthers are about, but how a real man loves, respects and sacrifices, in the best interests of a child. Read more
Published 27 days ago by Michael E. Channell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truly engaging.
Anthony Mackie & Kerry Washington once again deliver powerhouse performances, so good that we watched it again immediately after it ended. Read more
Published 1 month ago by ~K.I.S.S.W.A.G~
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Movie
Enjoyed the movie especially the nostalgia from 70's. Kerry Washington & Anthony Mackie was really compelling. They have great chemistry!
Published 1 month ago by Valerie L Dames
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic!
This movie is set in the back drop of the late 70s. It explores the stories of former Black Panthers. The people who did not die or fight in the height of the movement. Read more
Published 2 months ago by LunaSol
4.0 out of 5 stars
Turning back the hands of time...
I liked the movie, but I wanted to love it. I bought it because I thought I was going to get a compelling piece of history, mixed with a love story. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Shani Greene-Dowdell
1.0 out of 5 stars
Sound quality horrible: Watch this anywhere EXCEPT Amazon
I've never had any problems with the sound on Amazon-streamed films until this one. I first tried speakers with the sound set at 200% and could barely hear it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by ward3001
4.0 out of 5 stars
Film done where we were raised
I bought this as a christmas gift for my son who was raised in Germantown, we all sat and watched it that night, had fun trying to guess where things where. Read more
Published 4 months ago by patricia hoefer
4.0 out of 5 stars
Timely Reminder of America's recent past
If you want to see division among African American's who disagree on the how to solve problems in their community, this movie certainly has opened the curtain and a dialogue for... Read more
Published 4 months ago by June Bug
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great film!
This is a great film that explores the remnants of the Black Panther movement in Philadelphia. The lead actors Kerry Washington and Anthony Mackie do a superb job as does the rest... Read more
Published 5 months ago by S. D. Taylor
