Night Catches Us 2010

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: Night Catches Us, a politically sophisticated and ethically serious film, makes no big speeches or obvious points. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: Here is an honorable attempt to address a complex chapter of African-American pride, one that's usually hidden under hairdos and wah-wah pedals. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Merits admiration as an ambitious debut feature, though the impact of its splendid cast is blunted by the awkward structure of its screenplay. Read more

Sam Adams, AV Club: Hamilton drifts dangerously close to formula, and risks reducing her genuinely fascinating subject to a backdrop. But Mackie and Washington are too fine to let stock situations overtake them. Read more

Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader: Tanya Hamilton directed her own script, and though her ending leaves loose ends dangling, the movie is refreshing for its seriousness and originality. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Its rhythm forces audiences to pay attention to what its superb actors express non-verbally, and to measure the weight of the characters' past lives. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: It raises tangled questions about whether it is better to live humiliated or arm yourself, yet for the most part it's dramatically inert, talky and directionless, and it ends quietly without saying much of anything. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: Making a remarkable feature debut, Hamilton distinguishes herself more as a filmmaker than as a screenwriter. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The film leads to no showy conclusion, no spectacular climax. It is about movement possible within the soul even in difficult times. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Night Catches Us, Tanya Hamilton's first feature as a director, is something to cherish. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: Hamilton will no doubt make more polished movies, but this one has unusual atmosphere and emotional depth, and tackles subject matter no mainstream American film would touch without Hazmat equipment. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: As a director, Hamilton makes Liv Ullmann look like an action movie director - and just for the record, Ullmann makes Ingmar Bergman look like Jerry Bruckheimer. Read more

John Anderson, Variety: Acting, particularly by Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington, is first-rate, but the story is as ramshackle as a South Philly tenement, with an equal number of structural violations. Read more

Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: Writer-director Tanya Hamilton's striking debut is the rare recent American-independent film that goes beyond the private dramas of its protagonists, imagining them as players in broader historical moments. Read more

Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: Except for a stellar soundtrack by the Roots, there isn't much here to make anyone overly excited. Read more