Catch A Fire

What an overlooked and underrated film. Philip Noyce does a masterful job of telling a huge story (South African Aparteid) in an intimate and personal way. The story is about how one man can change from a "normal guy" into a revolutionary or terrorist, depending on how you see it. The film stars Derek Luke as Patrick Chamusso, a South African factory worker who just wants to do his job and go home to his family. He has no desire to get involved with politics, but eventually he has no choice. Chamusso and his wife are unjustly jailed near the beginning of the film, and this experience changes him. How can a man stand by and let his wife be treated with such disdain? Does a real man sit idly by? Of course not. So how does a real man react? Chamusso joins the resistance, leaves the country, trains, and returns on a mission to destroy the government that destroyed him. Tim Robbins plays Nic Voc, the government anti-terrorist agent. The pursuit ensues.
It has been disappointing to see the critics' quotes chosen for the dvd, "non-stop thriller" "pulse-pounding" and other such cheap phrases. This is not an action/suspense film, this is a portrait of how a man can change. So how does a man fight back? Some say through violence, fight fire with fire if you will. This is the myth of Redemptive Violence, a common thread in Hollywood and the world at large. Yet Jesus did not fight back, Jesus did not resort to redemption. He said "love your enemies." Yes, we should defend the defenseless, protect the widow and orphan, but violence does not bring about redemption. You will have to watch the film yourself to see how these questions play out, but the last few minutes are beautiful. The film ends with a shot of Nelson Mandela. Talk about a guy who put his money where his mouth is. Chamusso speaks of Mandela, saying that he taught all South Africans that revenge is not the answer, that forgiveness is the true path of God.

Catch A Fire delves into the mind of a man who experiences injustice, as so many are still today. Then it examines how a man would respond. How would you respond? It's a very sticky question, and offers no simple answers, yet Mandela's words ring true and leave a lasting impression. Luke was fantastic, Robbins good (except the accent) and Noyce does a great job of making a political film with a different focus than the normal fare. Africa has become a very popular subject in the movie world lately, with many triumphs (Hotel Rwanda, The Constant Gardener, etc.) But this film is unique. It is far smaller in scale than most "political thrillers," yet hits home in a very powerful, and personal way.