Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

William I've seen a few films from this era focused on the topic. Few of those had the impact of this film. As well, I feel it has relevance today.The overall theme, is how do 'normal' people 'wake-up' and consider radical or revolutionary action? Where do (so called) home-grown radicals come from? If we assume babies are born more-or-less innocent(??) What happens? More to the point, in the context of this particular film; why does NOT happen? We play football, we have some drinks, dance at a wedding, etc. Life is good. And sometimes; something-happens.There's a huge ethical question too... When is it OK to be bad, to do good? Is it 'ok(??)' to be 'evil' and feel you are a hero!? You my say, 'No...'; sometimes it will depend. Sometimes history is the decision maker.Watch the movie ... Pray you don't need to make these choices.

sddavis63 It's often said that the difference between a freedom fighter and a terrorist is the difference between who wins and who loses. Perhaps this was never as powerfully demonstrated as during the apartheid regime of South Africa, and that axiom is equally powerfully portrayed in this movie, which focuses largely on the life story of Patrick Chamusso, played by Derek Luke. Chamusso was a black worker at a white owned synthetic fuel plant in Secunda, South Africa. He stays out of politics. His life revolves around his family, his job, and the boys he coaches soccer to, but after a "terrorist" incident at the plant (which he was not connected to) he comes to the attention of the South African security forces, who are given a face in this movie by Nik Vos (Tim Robbins.) From that point on, Chamusso's life is turned upside down as he and his family are harassed repeatedly with ever increasing violence, to the point at which Chamusso chooses to join the ANC and fight for the end of apartheid by returning to South Africa as a saboteur, targeting the very plant he worked in.The story is well done. It shows a gradual and reluctant evolution of Chamusso from working man to freedom fighter, but then closes by noting his evolution backward once the apartheid era ended, and there's a brief tribute of sorts to Nelson Mandela for having taught Chamusso and others the way of forgiveness. It certainly isn't difficult to portray the apartheid regime of South Africa as an evil one. Perhaps to his credit, director Phillip Noyce doesn't really try to do that. It takes no effort. To try too hard would be to make a mockery of such a story and would create little more than a caricature of an evil system that needs no caricature to be depicted as evil. Instead, whites, blacks - they're not really depicted that differently. The main protagonists (Chamusso and Vos) are both family men who fear for their family's safety. They have a lot in common. The only difference is that Vos belongs to the powerful and oppressive race, while Chamusso is among the powerless and oppressed. An accident of birth that neither was responsible for, but that both had to accept responsibility for. That was well done, and it did avoid caricaturing either man. Both were men, with both good and bad aspects of their character. This is a very well done story; a good tribute to South Africa's freedom fighters and, briefly, to Nelson Mandela, who in the end did manage to pull off a peaceful revolution and bring about reconciliation between former enemies. In the end, when we discover Chamusso's future course, one has to admire him as well for what he committed his life to. (9/10)

zimbo_the_donkey_boy Gee, an intelligent film about an interesting topic. I'd like a thousand more like this, please. It even treats the audience like we're intelligent, rather than pointing out the ramifications of each twist. And they managed to do that with the dramatized treatment of an actual matter. Just imagine what tremendously clever & entertaining totally fictional stories Hollywood COULD give us if we insisted upon it. Rise up and accept no less! -- Having read a selection of other postings, I will add that my comments refer to this as if it was a film, rather than the Al Quaida training manual others see it as. I'm sorry that, when I watch a film, I look to be entertained and have my horizons widened; I guess there is something deficient about me that I think for myself. Apparently I failed in watching this film by not developing any respect for communist tyranny or religious terrorism. I also once listened to an old recording of a Nazi band without starting to hate the Jews or wishing to invade my neighbors. I'm sorry. From the director's, "If we were going to defeat terrorism, the only way was to get an understanding of the terrorist mind," I guess he has the same belief about movies as me.

Ismaninb Catch a Fire has many ingredients for a good, maybe excellent movie. The actors are fine, the story is interesting, the themes are human and important, the cinematography is beautiful. There is a convincing villain with a devilish charm. The daughter of this villain is rebelling, so there are conflicts in abundance. Still Catch a Fire does not work, one might even call it a failure. How comes? The problem, I think, is that hardly any theme is completely developed. Many themes easily can be missed, so briefly mentioned as they are. Take adultery and jealousy. These are essential for the story. Still we are to believe, that Patrick and Precious immediately forgive each other, when Patrick is freed. But no, in the epilogue we learn they are divorced some time later. Or the revenge theme, see the final scene with Nic Vos. Or the friendship theme - halfway the movie Patrick's best friend just disappears. Or Nic Vos' rebelling daughter. With some effort I could go on and on. Catch a fire wants way too much - or is too short, depending on what view you take. It wants to present musical, drama, action, suspense, politics. In the end it is nothing. Though I did not really get the chance to become involved, I was not bored or annoyed either. For its good intentions I rate it 6/10. But I might be a bit prejudiced pro this movie, because of Tim Robbins and because of the subject. I have made a tiny contribution to ANC's work myself 30 years ago.