Movies opening Friday:

"Babel": "21 Grams" director Alejandro González Iñárritu toggles between four harrowing plot lines from around the globe. Stories of two Moroccan boys involved in an accidental crime, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two American children, and a deaf-mute Tokyo teen whose father is sought by the police are interwoven into the account of a tragedy-stricken American couple (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) vacationing in Morocco. Gael Garcia Bernal, Elle Fanning and Koji Yakusho co-star. (R)

"Catch a Fire": A political thriller set in South Africa in the 1980s tells of a nonpolitical South African man (Derek Luke) who becomes a rebel fighter against apartheid after he and his wife are arrested and he sees what the system is really like. Tim Robbins co-stars. (PG-13)

"Saw III": This sequel explores the connection between murderous mastermind Jigsaw and his unlikely apprentice Amanda, as they demonstrate the value of life via sinister death traps. (R)