Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this complicated tale of political terrorism is intense and worthwhile viewing -- but it must have just barely escaped getting an R rating. Scenes of peril include characters being arrested, imprisoned, tortured, blindfolded, held under water, and torn from their families. There are guns and fighting throughout, as well as acts of terrorism that involve explosions, breaking and entering, and bombs being planted. Innocent people fear for their lives, and many die.
Families can talk about the fact that "right" and "wrong" can often be very complicated concepts. People are sometimes forced to do things they don't want to do for the greater good of their community. Is it right for Chamusso to leave his family to go and fight for freedom, potentially putting all of their lives at risk? Is Nic Vos an evil person who tortures others, or is he doing what's needed to keep his family safe and preserve the government of his country? How did Chamusso's actions change the course of history in South Africa? How far should you go to stand up for what's right?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jane Boursaw
If you have trouble understanding the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa in the 1980s, CATCH A FIRE will shed plenty of light on it.
Based on a true story, it tells the story of Patrick Chamusso (Derek Luke), a black foreman at the white-owned Secunda oil refinery plant near Johannesburg. He has a good job, a beautiful wife named Precious (Bonnie Henna), and two small girls. And he coaches soccer in his spare time. Life is good, considering the upheaval going on in his country at the time.
Things are on the edge in South Africa, a country ruled by fear and government-enforced apartheid (rigid segregation), and the only way to instigate change, according to some activists, is with guerrilla warfare and terrorism. That's just what happens at the refinery. When an explosion rips through the facility, Chamusso is arrested, tortured, and held in a shabby, makeshift jail by men supervised by Col. Nic Vos (Tim Robbins, with a not-half-bad South African accent). Vos is an officer in the Police Security Branch charged with identifying and arresting members of the African National Congress (ANC), whose goal is to rid South Africa of apartheid.
Chamusso is innocent, but his alibi doesn't hold up. He won't say that he's been with his mistress and their young son, so he lies to Vos, who tries to get Chamusso to talk by taking him home to dinner with his family. Chamusso still refuses to confess (since he didn't do anything wrong), but everything changes when Precious is arrested.
Stricken after seeing his wife brought in, Chamusso accepts responsibility for the bombing. Even though he and Precious are released, Chamusso decides that the brutal government must be stopped. He joins the ANC and sneaks across the border into Mozambique, where ANC members are being trained with AK-47s to overthrow the government. His knowledge of the refinery puts him in the perfect position to organize and carry out another terrorist attack on the plant.
Though the subject matter of Catch a Fire is heavy, this movie does a wonderful job of explaining a complicated situation, told through the eyes of a hero who helped change history. Luke gives a heart-wrenching, Oscar-worthy performance; when he says, "I will make this right," you believe him. You can feel his passion, as well as that of the other members of the ANC who feel they have no other choice but to fight.
The other actors -- including Robbins, Henna, and Michele Burgers as Vos' wife -- deliver emotional performances as well, showing the many grey areas that exist between "right" and "wrong." Plus, the movie is vibrant with the sights, sounds, and people of Africa. The freedom songs that the natives sing to console themselves are beautiful, as is the Bob Marley reggae music that was popular at that time (and for which the film is named).
Especially touching is the real-life documentary footage at the end of the movie, in which Luke meets the real Patrick Chamusso, who spent many years in prison but was released after Nelson Mandela came into leadership in South Africa. Chamusso now lives with his new wife, three children, and 80 adopted orphans, bringing the story of his life full circle.
Families who enjoy this movie may also like Malcolm X, Gandhi, Hotel Rwanda, Cry Freedom, and Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion.
Rate It!
| Content | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS | adults | kids | ||
Sexual ContentRomance between a husband and wife (and a scene of them together in bed), implied romance between a man and his mistress. |
 |
|||
ViolenceGuns and shooting throughout; people are tortured and imprisoned; car crashes; bombs and explosions; imprisoned women at risk of being raped. |
 |
|||
Language"Damn," "hell," "f--k." |
 |
|||
Message |
|
|||
Social BehaviorCharacters arrest and torture innocent people, break and enter, plant bombs, and are taught how to fight and use weapons. But characters also stand up for what's right -- at the risk of losing their lives and endangering their families. |
 |
|||
Commercialism |
 |
|||
Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco |
|
|||
