Am I Missing Something?

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

How does a film like this wind up with a little 5.8 rating while glossy pablum like Prometheus gets a 7.8? While 'Night Catches Us' does have a few pacing problems and plays a bit anti-climactic in places, it is a layered emotional drama with excellent performances. I just finished watching the DVD and was amazed it didn't get higher critical response. I was also surprised by some of the deleted scenes and wondered why they had been cut from the film. For example, the confrontation between Marcus and Jimmy, the young wanna-be revolutionary, takes place in the house in the film. But in the deleted scenes, there is a much better and more detailed version of the same exchange where Marcus goes deeper into the history of the Panthers. Maybe continuity made them scrap that version, but it was a stronger scene. Anyway, catch this one on DVD. (Resubmitting this review after deleting it by accident)

Excellent movie! I hightly recommend checking it out. I went to go see it when it first showed in chicago last December. I really wish more movies like this would come out. i would like to see more "black" movie producers produce movies of substance and stop with the stereotypical garbage! High five to Tanya Hamilton! Great job to all the actors and actress who started in the film as well. The ending of the film leaves one yearning for more. I would like to see a part two if this is possible. I look forward to checking out more of her movies in the future.peace, Akil

I'd encourage anyone interested in watching good acting and film-making to watch "Night Catches Us".The movie is set in 1976, in Philadelphia, and it is not "Rocky's" S. Philadelphia. The main characters have all had experience/involvement in the Black Panther movement, and the movie cuts a path through the complex feelings and realities that have evolved since they were once involved with it.It's one of those films that revolves around a core group of characters who've all turned into somewhat different people from when they first knew each other. The dynamic is even more intense because each of the main characters has a tie-in to someone who was obviously a leader or loved one -- indeed it was his death years earlier that led the group to disperse.I'm kinda bummed that awards seasons might be passing by this gem. Kerry Washington is great, but it's Anthony Mackie's film; he has an intensity and dignity. No overwrought acting.

The late Sixties found people in life quandaries they could not have imagined based on how they were raised. As the US government continued to kill thousands in other countries they turned also upon their citizens and sought to dampen dissent through the murder of those on what they defined to be the fringes of society. The Black Panthers, Students for A Democratic Society, the Weather Underground, students at Jackson State, Kent State; members found political commitments tied to life and death decisions. How far does one go to dissent? To what does one commit oneself with all their heart and soul? What price is one willing to pay when the corruption and moral bankruptcy of one's nation is no longer tolerable. "Night Catches Us"illuminates the maze of personal and political commitments necessary for living through those times. People no longer put their lives on the line in quite the same way. The US continues to murder thousands across the globe but the protest is only seen on cable television. Gil Scott Heron could not have realized that in the end the revolution would be televised. It just wouldn't have any real impact or foment real change.