Night Catches Us
2010 Directed by Tanya Hamilton
Synopsis
United by revolution, divided by the past
After growing up during the tumultuous 1960s, ex-Black Panther Marcus returns to his home in Philadelphia in 1976 and reconnects with Pat, the widow of a Panther leader. Marcus befriends Pat's young daughter and attempts to conquer his demons. Interfering with Marcus's good intentions are the neighborhood's continuing racial and social conflicts, as well as old enemies and friends -- both with scores to settle.
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Loved it
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Really well done Sundance indie about a relationship between two former Black Panther members in Philly.
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Anthony Mackie is one of my favorite actors,and he does a pretty good job here.As does Kerry Washington.Too bad the plot is kinda weak.With some tweaks here and there this could've been a much better movie.
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A very good thriller based on the history of the Black Power movement in Philadelphia
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Set in the Germantown section of Philadelphia in 1976 – a few years after the violent death of Neil Wilson, a prominent Black Panther - “Night Catches Us” finds its players have moved into the system, some of them working as lawyers, some as business owners, all of them jaded by the way things went down, all of them haunted by the not too distant past. Marcus (a serene-by-definition Anthony Mackie) returns to this world to bury his father – having fled in the aftermath of the aforementioned slaying – and finds himself reconnecting with Neil's wife, Patricia (the always charming Kerry Washington) and daughter, Iris (Jamara Griffin). Having been labeled a snitch and generally thought responsible (in the neighborhood)…
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a great story about returning home and dealing with the issues that you left behind. I would've rather it have been marketed as this then as a black panther nostalgic retrospective(initially that's what i felt it would be). Also, performances on all fronts landed the mark, gotta love Anthony Mackie. :)
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Writer-director Tanya Hamilton makes an assured debut with this absorbing character study set in the aftermath of the Black Power movement. In 1976, former Black Panther Marcus (Anthony Mackie) returns to a Philadelphia neighborhood whose inhabitants still blame him for the death of a one time Panther colleague - all except Patricia (the always gorgeous Kerry Washington), another former activist and the dead man's widow. Those expecting a fist-pumping, leather-heavy look at Panther politics will likely be disappointed: While Hamilton raids the newsreel archives for flashback footage, the Panthers' presence is a ghostly one; a lingering reminder of the sweltering cultural and political climate that united Marcus and Patricia's younger selves. Beautifully acted, Night Catches Us is a small and subtle film whose characters and emotional beats feel as authentic as its leafy Germantown locations.
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Let’s take a moment to credit some of the lesser-heralded arts of movie-making, such as production design, set dressing, and costumes. NIGHT CATCHES US is set in Philadelphia in 1976, and looks it. The movie feels contemporary and believable, but also convincingly forty years ago. Let’s also compliment its cinematography – NIGHT CATCHES US has the hazy look of summer and memory. But most of all, this is a movie of ideas.
NIGHT CATCHES US (great title, by the way) posits one of the most probing questions I’ve seen a movie bother to pose in quite some time: What happens after history?
Most period pictures like to chronicle major moments in history at the hour of their doing. But what…
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Really enjoyed this film which was set in Philly in the 70's. Similar feel to The Fighter movie but this deals with a relationship/story between 2 former Black Panther members. A brilliant soundtrack by The Roots aswell which unbelievably isnt available to buy anywhere. Some pretty good acting and the film moves along quick quickly with meaning. A great debut from Tanya Hamilton