Catch a Fire

Noyce is now the favorite filmmaker of your local Amnesty International

Featuring excllent performances from Luke and Robbins, Catch A Fire is a mature, thought provoking film.

At its best when making the most of the conflicts at the heart of apartheid.

An intelligent thriller that effectively conveys the message that terrorism, even in apartheid-era South Africa, is rarely a black-and-white issue.

What biopics and issue-driven films could be if they had the guts to go beyond the easy answers.

Despite Mr. Noyce's attempt to achieve a sense of balance and restraint, the material covers an overly familiar landscape with no special insight or sense of purpose.

Given the complex motivations at play, it's unfortunate that the script doesn't go in for much psychology and wastes precious minutes halfway humanizing Patrick's Boer rival.

It doesn't quite have the adrenaline to be a great thriller, but Catch a Fire makes up for it with compelling characters and a genuinely important theme, skillfully told. There's not much else you can ask from a film than that.

Gritty apartheid drama pushes PG-13 limits.

Movies like Catch a Fire are perhaps the most banal sort to write about.