A League of Mullets Movie Review

Yo, we watched Catch a Fire last night and here is our review:

This gripping film is about the life of Patrick Chamusso. Patrick is a black man who lived in South Africa during the worst Apartheid years. He was not a political man bent on overthrowing the system of Apartheid until he was picked up by the South African Security forces, brutally interrogated, and named as a suspect in a bombing at the plant where he worked. What pushed him over the edge was finding out his wife was also picked up, questioned, and beaten. The film follows some of Chamusso's journey as he becomes radicalized as a result of the state's terrorism of him and his family.
If you were looking for a contemporary movie that is mirroring what the USA is doing in Iraq now, then this is it. The USA in Iraq and Afghanistan are just like the South African Boers were in South Africa for many many years. They are occupying a vast country and keeping down the majority of the people who do not want them there. They are turning many people with little or no political inclinations into stone cold terrorists. Only an idiot, or a blind Republican, would not see that this film is about our tragic involvement in Iraq as well as about the story of Patrick Chamusso. The performances in this film are amazingly good. Derek Luke as Chamusso shines, as does Bonnie Henna who plays his wife Precious Chamusso. Both play their roles with quiet dignity and grace. Luke displays an array of talent not seen from an actor of his generation in quite sometime. Tim Robbins, who portrays Nick Vos a South African Security officer, is chillingly good. Robbins plays this tormented monster of a man who deludes himself into thinking that by keeping the ANC at bay he is also saving his white family from Communism perfectly. This fine picture was directed by Aussie native Phillip Noyce, the man who also directed one of Dr. Monkey's other favorite films, Rabbit Proof Fence. Noyce does a wonderful job with the pacing, the plot, and everything else. At the end of the film we meet the real Patrick Chamusso, who incidentally spent years in prison for his "crimes" against the Apartheid regime. Mr. Chamusso was released from prison along with many of his other compatriots when the Boers were finally ousted from power. The power of this man is awe inspiring. He has chosen to forgive his captors and to move on with his life rather than to spend his life filled with bitterness and hate towards them. He has also adopted over 80 children, mostly the children of parents who died from HIV/AIDS. In our book Mr. Chamusso is as big a hero as Nelson Mandela and a truly stand up dude. If we ever get to South Africa we are buying this dude a beer and whatever else he wants.

We recommend you see this movie even though the DVD extras are nothing to write home about and no character sports a mullet in it. We really liked this movie and we think it's one of those important films everyone needs to see because it shows just who the real heroes are in our world.

So say us! So say we all!!!!