Catch A Fire

'Catch A Fire' is a film set in 1980's South Africa during apharthaid. The film is a true story of one Patrick Chamusso, played by Derek Luke. Starring opposite is the ever impressive Tim Robbins as police colonel Nic Vos.

'Catch A Fire' basically follows the change in Patrick Chamusso from apolitical family man to A.N.C terrorist/freedom fighter(depending on your point of view)to the abolition of Aparthaid in South Africa.

Frankly I was a little disapointed with this film; the subject of Aparthaid is indeed a weighty one, a subject which requires something more indepth than this film delivers. All credit to Tim Robbins and his South African accent though, he only loses it once in an emotional scene after his daughter has shot a black terrorist attempting to enter their house. This film tries to draw a comparrison between the white family of Nic Vos and Patrick Chamusso, living different sides of the social strata, essentially South Africa and Aparthaid are merely a backdrop for this tired formula Hollywood film.

'Catch A fire' is not a bad film, but it's not a great film either, and perhaps dealing with this kind of subject it should be. It certainly doesn't deal with all the gritty details of the time, for example it shys away from directly stating that Patrick Chamussos' wife was raped by the police; still as I said, it is essentially a biopic and not a serious attempt at properly dealing with the history of Aparthaid and South Africa.

I wouldn't give this film more than a seven out of ten, bit of a disappointment, needed much more depth and history related to Robin's character and the A.N.C. Formulaic and weak, but not a bad film, watch it once, but don't waste your time twice. The money would have been better spent making a film about Nelson Mandella.