Catch a Fire (2006)

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writer:

Shawn Slovo (written by)

Release Date:

27 October 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Thriller

Tagline:

This Fall stand for something

Plot:

A drama about terrorism in Apartheid-era South Africa, revolving around a policeman and a young man who carries out solo attacks against the regime.

Plot Keywords:

1980s | Political Thriller | African National Congress | Soccer Coach | South Africa

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Tim Robbins	...	Nic Vos
Derek Luke	...	Patrick Chamusso
Bonnie Henna	...	Precious Chamusso
Mncedisi Shabangu	...	Zuko September
Tumisho Masha	...	Obadi (as Tumisho K. Masha)
Sithembiso Khumalo	...	Sixpence
Terry Pheto	...	Miriam
Michele Burgers	...	Anna Vos
Mpho Lovinga	...	Johnny Piliso
Mxo	...	Pete My Baby
Jessica Anstey	...	Katie Vos
Charlotte Savage	...	Marie Vos
Nomhlé Nkyonyeni	...	Mama Dorothy (as Nomhle Nkonyeni)
Michael Mabizela	...	Shaven Head Bomber
Eduan van Jaarsveldt	...	Special Branch Sergeant (as Eduan van Jaarsveld)

Also Known As:

Au nom de la liberté (France)
Hotstuff (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving torture and abuse, violence and brief language.

Runtime:

101 min | Canada:98 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

France | UK | South Africa | USA

Language:

English | Afrikaans | Zulu | Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Ireland:12A | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Germany:12 | South Africa:16 (V) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42758) | Argentina:13 | South Korea:12 | Finland:K-13 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, South Africa

Company:

Focus Features

Trivia:

The title is the name of the first major label album from Bob Marley & The Wailers.

Quotes:

Patrick Chamusso: My children, when they speak if their father, they will say he was a man who stood up for what was right, a man who said he must do something now. What will your children say about you?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Tavis Smiley: (2006-10-26)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Indoda Emnyama (Black Man)

Worth a look

As I started watching this movie, I thought Apartheid movies are like Holocaust movies---they are all the same theme repeated over and over again with minor variations. But something about this unfolding picture made me resist the eject button. One factor was, I think, that the Tim Robbins character was magnetically unpredictable. It was hard to predict what kind of a person he would ultimately turn out to be. Secondly, and maybe I missed something at the outset or went in with imperfect knowledge of the circumstances of the film, but only quite late in the picture did I realize that this was a biographical flashback of a national hero. That was refreshing to me. Heroic biopics generally seem to be trying too hard to lionize their subject. And finally, from all aspects of cinematography that a casual user like me can address, the picture was not that badly done. So, if you haven't seen many Apartheid-themed movies and would like to see a decent one, this would be a respectable choice. As a political aside, I found myself hoping that at least a few Americans would watch this picture and say "Hey, that's what we do to suspected terrorists, too!", and consider whether right and wrong are not all that easy to distinguish.