Apartheid- which literally means “apartness“- ruled South Africa from 1948 to 1994. It was a racial system designed by whites to form a legal framework for continued economic and political dominance over other races by people of European descent. During this time, many blacks were imprisoned and murdered for being black. One true life story is the basis for the Focus Feature new release Catch a Fire.

Patrick Chamusso (Derek Luke) was an honest family man trying to live his life day by day without trouble. He was content with the system even though many of his countrymen were wrongly imprisoned and killed for crimes they didn’t commit. One day, he finds himself in the middle of an investigation headed by Nic Vos (Tim Robbins), the chief of anti- terrorist operations. Patrick is unjustly imprisoned and beaten for being a terrorist. To add salt to the wound, his wife (Bonnie Mbuli) is also imprisoned and beaten as well. This drastically changes his view on the system and inspires him to eventually join a militant group of countrymen hungry for freedom and revenge.

Director Phillip Noyce (The Bone Collector) brings this tragic, yet inspiring story to the big screen. He successfully shows two sides of this issue. On the hand, we get to see the victim (Chamusso) and how his family life parallels with the man who imprisoned him (Vos). Both men come from different walks of life, but they are the same. They want to protect their families from becoming victims during this violent uprising.

Catch a Fire is a well done movie with wonderful performances. Tim Robbins is brilliant as Nic Vos. He transforms from one extreme to the next with ease. One moment he is a heartless investigator, trying to violently shut down terrorist threat. The next he’s a caring and devoted family man. Bonnie Henna gives the breakout performance of the year playing Chamusso’s wife Precious. She is vulnerable, but strong at the same time. Her performance was one of those rare gems, just like Sophie Okonedo’s Oscar nominated performance in Hotel Rwanda. Not to say Henna should receive a nomination herself, but she commanded the screen and her presence was definitely noticed.

If we were to discuss an Oscar worthy performance it would definitely be for Derek Luke’s portrayal of Patrick Chamusso. He was a powerhouse on screen. His breakthrough performance as Antwone Fisher was amazing, but this performance was a tour de force of emotion. There is already buzz surrounding this performance. Hopefully, it’s not forgotten during the upcoming storm of Oscar contending movies slated to come out during the next couple of months.

Catch a Fire is a really good movie that is sure to evoke discussion. There is also a wonderful message about forgiveness and letting go of the past.

by Thomas Ferguson