For the
sake of not having to write the same intro a million
different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that
this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull
process of full film reviews and instead opts to break
things down based on what I thought going in, what happened
while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all.
Thanks for reading!
The
Breakdown - Night Catches Us
The Impression:
I’m pretty unknowing about Tanya Washington, but a film
about the legacy of The Black Panthers scored by The Roots
and staring Anthony Mackie was a good enough draw to get me
in to the theaters.
The Reality:
A very good, very small film. The story of Marcus Washington
(Anthony Mackie), a former Black Panther, who returns to the
scarred and broken neighborhood of his youth, is beautiful
in its simplicity. There is a lot going on in the film
(agendas, characters, philosophical yearnings) but Tanya
Hamilton is impressive at letting them play out around the
main characters, Mackie’s Marcus and his former flame
Patricia (Kerry Washington). There relationship is a strong
center point for the rest of the film’s discourse on the
faded beliefs of the militant organization and the
inspiration and trauma they helped play out on a greater
scale. Aside from strong acting (Mackie does tough-guy
sensitive with the best of ‘em) and a small but powerful
script, the visuals of the film (by cinematographer David
Tumblety) are striking. The usage of fireflies in a dramatic
stand-off with the police is gorgeous and his long shots
help to establish the simmering violence that bubbles
beneath the surface of the film.
The Lesson:
I don’t know if I learned a lesson from this film. But I
certainly enjoyed it.
Noah Sanders is the blog/news editor at Light In The
Attic and a contributor at Sound On The Sound and
the KEXP blog. He also has his own
Criterion-based film site, Criterion Quest.
If you'd like to contact Noah in regards to his
writings here at Side One: Track One then please do
so
here.
- Noah Sanders
-
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