Jimmy (Amari Cheatom) has had it with Philadelphia's racist cops.
From the City of Brotherly Shove
By John Esther
Eleven years in the making, writer-director Tanya Hamilton’s “Night Catches Us” captures a tumultuous time in Philadelphia history.
It is 1976 and America is experiencing the commemoration of the bicentennial, yet in the city where the law of the land was written 200 years prior, much of the population is treated as second-class citizens.
Marcus (Anthony Mackie) has just returned to an unwelcome homecoming. Considered a snitch by his former Black Panther comrades, he has to watch his step. The only one he can trust is Patricia (Kerry Washington), who has become a sort of pillar in the neighborhood as it deals with constant harassment by the cops and the rampant anger and rebellion of many young African-American men and women who have had enough of police brutality -- namely Patty's cousin, Jimmy (Amari Cheatom).
As tensions mount, violence and mistrust between cops and citizens grows, as does trust and love amongst the oppressed. Naturally, something has to give, and it is not the police misconduct.
Well-made and capturing the City of Brotherly Love with considerable care and craft, this Summer Showcase selection offers an insightful look at what it means to be black in America during some of its worst times.
Recommended.
(Night Catches Us screens June 25, 7:45 p.m., Regal Cinemas; June 26, 4:30 p.m., Regal Cinemas)
