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Avg. Critic Score: 62 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 OK for kids 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    This deeply moving and disturbing film derives power from being based on the true story of a black South African who does everything possible, no matter how degrading, to get by within an immoral system, but becomes radicalized almost despite himself. Read full review

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    With the same affinity for stories of culture clash he showed in "The Quiet American" and "Rabbit-Proof Fence," director Phillip Noyce embraces the tale with gusto. Read full review

  • 70
    Wall Street Journal |

    An affecting story of punishment and crime, of betrayal and redemption marred by preachiness and a treacly ending, Catch a Fire is notable for its refusal to see things in terms of black and white. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    Comparisons to "Hotel Rwanda" make sense up to a point - both feature heroes who have the scales removed from their eyes - but "Fire" is no tearjerker, and here the story of Chamusso's conversion serves mainly as prologue to the main plot, a history-tinted cat-and-mouse policier in which he will attempt to finish the job he was wrongly accused of starting. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    The young American actor (Derek Luke) gives such an intense, passionate performance as South African Patrick Chamusso that he just about dares you not to be involved with the tale he is telling. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Though preachy at times, Catch a Fire is a well-constructed action thriller elevated by Luke's performance. Read full review

  • 63
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    In Catch a Fire Noyce has caught the holy spirit. The movie is a thriller that wants to lift you up. Read full review

  • 60
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    Stories of resistance to oppression will never become obsolete, but this feels like a picture that should have been made a long time ago. Read full review

  • 50
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    Director Phillip Noyce has made a serious movie that switches to almost popcorn entertainment. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    It's a film that wants to play as if it were ripped from today's headlines, but has been shredded into near incoherence. Read full review

View more reviews for Catch a Fire on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 15+ Gritty apartheid drama pushes PG-13 limits.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this complicated tale of political terrorism is intense and worthwhile viewing -- but it must have just barely escaped getting an R rating. Scenes of peril include characters being arrested, imprisoned, tortured, blindfolded, held under water, and torn from their families. There are guns and fighting throughout, as well as acts of terrorism that involve explosions, breaking and entering, and bombs being planted. Innocent people fear for their lives, and many die.
  • Families can talk about the fact that "right" and "wrong" can often be very complicated concepts. People are sometimes forced to do things they don't want to do for the greater good of their community. Is it right for Chamusso to leave his family to go and fight for freedom, potentially putting all of their lives at risk? Is Nic Vos an evil person who tortures others, or is he doing what's needed to keep his family safe and preserve the government of his country? How did Chamusso's actions change the course of history in South Africa? How far should you go to stand up for what's right?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Characters arrest and torture innocent people, break and enter, plant bombs, and are taught how to fight and use weapons. But characters also stand up for what's right -- at the risk of losing their lives and endangering their families.
What to watch for
  • violence false5 Violence: Guns and shooting throughout; people are tortured and imprisoned; car crashes; bombs and explosions; imprisoned women at risk of being raped.
  • sex false0 Sex: Romance between a husband and wife (and a scene of them together in bed), implied romance between a man and his mistress.
  • language false3 Language: "Damn," "hell," "f--k."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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