"Night Catches Us"

Although this flick is not in theaters anymore, it just recently hit Netflix and I knew I had to seize the opportunity to watch this film.  And actually I was quite pleased with the film. Night Catches Us is a film I like to call a "sleeper",  why because it didn't stay in the theaters long and it fell under the radar to the point where many missed out on a golden quality film.

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. Magnolia Pictures

Director and writer Tanya Hamilton does an excellent job of shedding light on a period in which many have their own rumors, speculations,  and opinions about. However, Hamilton is able to focus in on two main characters Marcus (ex-Panther and accused "snitch") and Patricia (former Panther turned attorney) and their struggle to make it through the latter part of the 1970's Black Panther Era.

Night Catches Us spotlights a great deal of the personal and political situations during this time. After watching this film you realize how much of a painful experience that took place in American during the 60s and 70s. With police brutality increasingly on the rise and the Black Panther movement truly transforming itself, this film examines a core group of individuals who have all evolved into somewhat different people from when they initially knew each other. And to think one tragic event impacted so many characters in so many ways. Hamilton must be commended for giving us her definition of the meaning of the Black Panther movement, and hopefully you will leave with a greater respect for how much of a national and international impact that it had on US history. When it is all said and one, I begin to wonder if people today would put their lives on the line in quite the same way that these characters do in this film.

It goes without saying that this is not an easy film to watch especially if you were involved in any of the movements, or around during this time, you kind of take a personal hit. This is a period of time where this is a lot of pain, struggles, strife, and destruction. This film further does a good job in making you appreciate the Black Panther organization as a movement versus just focusing on the individuals. Once you finish watching the film you begin to ask several questions, are you willing to go above and beyond in order to survive and at what risk, who would you choose to take on your journey, what kind of sacrifices would make in life, what choices do you make under pressure and how would you act, and are you prepared to live with the aftermath of your decisions.

The one thing that I cannot deny with this film is that Kerry Washington and Anthony Mackie give remarkable performances, but I expect nothing less from them. Each of them embodied their character on the screen, so that us the viewer can appreciate their performance. They truly have an undeniable chemistry that plays out very well on the screen (if you recall they seem to have good working chemistry She Hate Me). The friendship/love relationship that they possess for each other is a conflict but at the same time we the viewer have a moment of clarity. We get to see both Marcus and Patricia's journey of identifying who they are and what they have become over time. In addition, we get a chance to see how this movement effects the children through the eyes of Iris (Amari Cheatom/Patricia's daughter) a wonderful portrayal in which you can't help but empathize what she is going through during this time.

My one minor hang-up with the film is the ending, it was somewhat abrupt and open-ended. Now maybe that was the intention, so that the viewers could come to their own conclusion, but maybe that was not the best route. If there is a highlight to this approach, its that you leave the theater still asking those same question from above, several days later. However, on the flip side the complete musical score is done by Philadelphia's own The Roots, and the added the perfect touch to an enlightening film. Each song was perfectly placed and smoothly played out.

All in all, when it is said and done this was good flick that just didn't get enough attention. But hopefully if you were not able to catch it in the theaters you can catch it on Netflix, or even buy it on DVD.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars