SummaryIn 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 t... Read More
Directed By:Tanya Hamilton
Written By:Tanya Hamilton
Night Catches Us
Metascore
Generally Favorable
65
User score
Universal Acclaim
8.3
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
72% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
17% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
11% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Dec 7, 2010
83
Writer-director Tanya Hamilton's intellectually ambitious debut drama Night Catches Us is all the more notable for setting well-drawn fictional characters in a fraught, real moment in civil rights history.
Dec 9, 2010
75
Surely the gentlest American film ever made about home-grown revolutionaries.
Dec 7, 2010
75
Hamilton manifests her vision of what politics can do to individual thinking with subtlety and sophistication. Remember her name. She's a genuine find.
Dec 7, 2010
70
Writer-director Tanya Hamilton's striking debut is the rare recent American-independent film that goes beyond the private dramas of its protagonists, imagining them as players in broader historical moments.
Dec 7, 2010
70
Most successful are the scenes involving Marcus and Iris, a 10-year-old girl who grew up fatherless and watchful of her tumultuous surroundings.
Dec 7, 2010
60
Night Catches Us surges awkwardly in its latter third, suddenly aware that a promising setup isn't enough. Regardless, here is an honorable attempt to address a complex chapter of African-American pride, one that's usually hidden under hairdos and wah-wah pedals.
Dec 9, 2010
25
Suffers from some of the deficiencies common to first features. It is sincere and earnest but the product of an assumption that the milieu itself is compelling enough to command an audience's attention.
User score
Universal Acclaim
83% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
17% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Dec 4, 2010
10
Fantastic. Really. One of the best things I've seen in ages. It is a gripping story and the way it is told is deeply moving. Mackie, Washington, and the guys from The Wire give great performances.
Dec 4, 2010
10
This is an extraordinary film--beautifully written,directed, shot, acted, and edited. Plus a phenomenal soundtrack. It is a substantial, nuanced, personal, political story--the kind that American film rarely tells anymore. And definitely should be seen on the big screen.
Production Company:
- SimonSays Entertainment
- Gigantic Pictures
Release Date:Dec 3, 2010
Duration:1 h 30 m
Rating:R
Tagline:United by revolution, divided by the past
Awards
Black Reel Awards
• 5 Wins & 8 Nominations
Image Awards (NAACP)
• 4 Nominations
African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA)
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
