Review of Night Catches Us (2010) by Jay S — 11 Jan 2011

This feature debut from director Tanya Hamilton is a gift for movie lovers. Night Catches Us is set in the Germantown section of Philadelphia in 1976, where we're introduced to lawyer Patricia (the beautiful and under-rated Kerry Washington) and Marcus (Anthony Mackie, so good in The Hurt Locker), two former Black Panthers reunited. Patricia and Marcus were lovers, but Marcus has been MIA for four years. Patricia's nine year old daughter Iris finds Marcus intriguing. Especially since he may have know what her mother has been hiding from her concerning her father's death at the hands of a police officer when she was only eight months old.

Hamilton, bless her, isn't in a hurry to provide explanations. She's merely content to take her time. Hamilton studied painting at Cooper Union and it shows: the film looks excellent, with help from David Tumblety's haunting cinematography. Then there's the amazing score, courtesy of The Roots. And Mackie and Washington have never been more vital or mesmerizing on screen. Remember the name Tanya Hamilton--she's got a hell of a future in films.