Catch a Fire

Tim Robbins towered above everyone in the red carpet line as we went into Catch a Fire at the Elgin. He gave a solid performance as Nic Vos, the Colonel who apprehended and questioned suspected terrorists in South Africa in the late 70s, and turned in a convincing Afrikaaner accent. His prime suspect was Patrick Chamusso, a foreman in the Secunda oil refinery who was accused of planting the bomb that blew up part of the refinery. Only, he wasn't there that night - he was out of town coaching a boys soccer team and spending the evening with his son by another woman. For this reason, he refused to provide an alibi for his non-involvement but, after seeing his wife tortured, he confessed to the crime. The injustice led him to leave secretly for Mozambique and join the African National Congress (ANC) which was actively involved in terrorist activities at that time. After surviving a slaughter at the ANC base, he became a key player in planning another, more deadly explosion at the refinery.

The movie is powerful and Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher) does a great job playing Chamusso. Luke, Robbins and the beautiful Bonnie Henna who plays Chamusso's wife all looked great onstage. At the end of the screening, they introduced the real-life Patrick Chamusso who waved from the loge. If you're up for tough subject matter, this is a worthwhile and moving film with a positive message: forgiveness and reconciliation are the true paths to freedom. MMMM

Patrick Chamusso
African freedom fighter
forgiveness is key