Night Catches Us

Name: Night Catches Us
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: December 3, 2010
Duration: 90 min
Rating: 65

2010

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Ratings

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7.9

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7.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Ratings

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Night Catches Us

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Movie Details & Credits

Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: December 3, 2010 | R

Summary: 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 oddsIn 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) … Expand

Director: Tanya Hamilton

Genre(s): Drama, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 90 min

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Critic Reviews

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Dec 7, 2010

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. Read full review

A.O. Scott

Dec 7, 2010

Ms. Hamilton tells a modest, complex story with admirable clarity and nuance. That her film is so quiet, so evidently invested in contemplation rather than confrontation, gives it power as well as insight. Read full review

Roger Ebert

Dec 8, 2010

The film leads to no showy conclusion, no spectacular climax. It is about movement possible within the soul even in difficult times. Read full review

Melissa Anderson

Dec 7, 2010

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. Read full review

Movieline Michelle Orange

Dec 7, 2010

Most successful are the scenes involving Marcus and Iris, a 10-year-old girl who grew up fatherless and watchful of her tumultuous surroundings. Read full review

Elizabeth Weitzman

Dec 7, 2010

"Night" never quite coalesces into the forceful drama it hopes to be. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

Dec 9, 2010

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. Read full review

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User Reviews

filmbuff

Dec 4, 2010

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.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

freshmaker

Dec 4, 2010

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.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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