Metacritic Movie Ratings
Catch a Fire Reviews

A sample of reviews from critics across the country.

• 75

  out of 100

  Entertainment WeeklyLisa 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.

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• 70

  out of 100

  Los Angeles TimesKenneth 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.

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• 70

  out of 100

  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.

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• 70

  out of 100

  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.

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• 63

  out of 100

  USA TodayClaudia Puig

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

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• 60

  out of 100

  VarietyTodd 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.

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• 50

  out of 100

  The New York TimesManohla 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.

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See all Catch a Fire movie reviews at Metacritic.com