Catch a Fire

UK / South Africa / USA 2006, 101 minutes
Dir. Phillip Noyce
In English, Afrikaans, Zulu with English subtitles
Genres: Drama / History, Hostages & Terrorism

Topics: Indigenous & Minority Cultures, Period 1980s, Politics.

Feat. Tim Robbins, Derek Luke

Aroview: Sturdy, serious-minded political thriller from the steady hand of dir. Phillip Noyce, couched in the turbulence of South Africa’s Apartheid eighties.

Derek Luke, as a modest worker in a coal refinery, is forced to reassess his passivity when apprehended and brutalized by a sadistic police officer (Robbins) for alleged terrorist activity. If the performances translate powerfully enough, Noyce’s direction relays a stronger political message that’s not as subtle or sophisticated as his previous efforts (THE QUIET AMERICAN in particular), yet polished enough to underscore the ongoing relevance of minorities in oppression.

Member Reviews

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3 stars (Good Enough) Serious South African Apartheid film, with willful performances, but focusing too much on the obvious and literal conflict and never quite feeling 'genuine'. (This is admittedly a hard zeitgeist to capture on film.) ~Tom H