X
  • 2010
  • R
  • Magnolia Pictures
  • 1 h 30 m
  • 2010
  • R
  • Magnolia Pictures
  • 1 h 30 m

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 od...

Directed By: Tanya Hamilton

Written By: Tanya Hamilton

  • 2010
  • R
  • Magnolia Pictures
  • 1 h 30 m
  • 2010
  • R
  • Magnolia Pictures
  • 1 h 30 m

Night Catches Us

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 18 Critic Reviews
65
User Score Universal Acclaim Based on 6 User Ratings
8.3
My Score
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Where to Watch

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 od...

Directed By: Tanya Hamilton

Written By: Tanya Hamilton

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 18 Critic Reviews
65
72% Positive
13 Reviews
17% Mixed
3 Reviews
11% Negative
2 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 18 Critic Reviews
65
72% Positive
13 Reviews
17% Mixed
3 Reviews
11% Negative
2 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
83
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.
By Lisa Schwarzbaum FULL REVIEW
75
Dec 9, 2010
Surely the gentlest American film ever made about home-grown revolutionaries.
By Michael Phillips FULL REVIEW
75
Dec 7, 2010
Hamilton manifests her vision of what politics can do to individual thinking with subtlety and sophistication. Remember her name. She's a genuine find.
By Peter Travers FULL REVIEW
70
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.
By Melissa Anderson FULL REVIEW
70
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.
By Michelle Orange FULL REVIEW
60
Dec 7, 2010
Night Catches Us surges awkwardly in its latter third, suddenly aware that a promising setup isn't enough. Regardless, here is an honorable attempt to address a complex chapter of African-American pride, one that's usually hidden under hairdos and wah-wah pedals.
By Joshua Rothkopf FULL REVIEW
25
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.
By Mick LaSalle FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Universal Acclaim Based on 6 User Ratings
8.3
83% Positive
5 Ratings
17% Mixed
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Universal Acclaim Based on 6 User Ratings
8.3
83% Positive
5 Ratings
17% Mixed
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company SimonSays Entertainment, Gigantic Pictures
Release Date Dec 3, 2010
Duration 1 h 30 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline United by revolution, divided by the past
Website http://www.facebook.com/nightcatchesus
View All Details

Awards

Black Reel Awards
• 5 Wins & 8 Nominations
Image Awards (NAACP)
• 4 Nominations
African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA)
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations

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