Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- serious
- grounded
- historical film night
- social justice programming
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an accomplished political thriller whose treatment of apartheid benefits from Derek Luke and Tim Robbins’s nuanced performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Patrick Chamusso begins as an apolitical refinery foreman and soccer coach before imprisonment and police abuse push him toward resistance.
Colonel Nic Vos repeatedly insinuates himself into Patrick and Precious Chamusso’s domestic lives while investigating resistance activity.
The story follows an ordinary South African worker whose personal ordeal connects him to broader anti-apartheid activism.
Patrick’s imprisonment and the threat posed by Vos force him to weigh family vulnerability against opposition to apartheid.
Films like Catch a Fire, and why
The Year of Living Dangerously
political thriller treatment of state oppression, resistance, and morally complex policing
Cry Freedom
historical drama about apartheid-era South Africa, political awakening, and resistance
Goodbye Bafana
grounded biographical drama centered on political repression, incarceration, and liberation
Movie Details
- Director
- Phillip Noyce
- Release Date
- 2006-10-27
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (155)
Cast
- Tim Robbins
- Derek Luke
- Bonnie Mbuli
- Mncedisi Shabangu
- Tumisho Masha
- Sithembiso Khumalo
- Terry Pheto
- Michele Burgers
- Mpho Lovinga
- Jay Anstey
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Catch a Fire about?
- An apolitical South African foreman is driven from ordinary family life into resistance when apartheid security forces turn his world against him.
- What is Catch a Fire like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Catch a Fire as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Catch a Fire violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Catch a Fire as moderate.
- What did critics think of Catch a Fire?
- Critics broadly found the film an accomplished political thriller whose treatment of apartheid benefits from Derek Luke and Tim Robbins’s nuanced performances.
- Which films are like Catch a Fire?
- Films with a similar feel include The Year of Living Dangerously, Cry Freedom, and Goodbye Bafana.
- How long is Catch a Fire?
- Catch a Fire runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch Catch a Fire?
- In United States, Catch a Fire is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
