Incendiary

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  August 9, 2009

  dreamfaeries

  Graphic. Couldn't pull me away, I had to keep watching...

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  April 14, 2009

  EarthlyAlien

  There are so many things wrong with writer-director Sharon Maguire's first film since Bridget Jones' Diary in 2001 that it's hard to know where to start, but the fatal problem is that this is a film with an identity crisis. Storywise, Maguire's adaptation of a novel by Chr...( read more)is Cleave tells of a nervy young British mother on a London council estate (played by American Michelle Williams, no joke) who's enjoying a dose of extra-marital how's-your-father with her neighbour, a rich (!) Daily Express journalist (Ewan McGregor, weak) when her husband, a bomb disposal expert and her five-year-old son are killed during a terrorist attack on a London football stadium.
  
  
  
  A study of guilt and grief, then, against the backdrop of modern London? Partly - only Maguire's script wanders down all sorts of narrative dead-ends. It flirts with being a conspiracy thriller when the woman begins a relationship with the boss of her dead husband, a high-ranking police officer (Matthew MacFadyen), but bottles it to explore revenge and forgiveness instead when the woman ridiculously chances upon the son of the bomber. Lest Maguire miss the chance to reflect every hot-button event and issue going, she then tastelessly borrows from the De Menezes tragedy for another needless red herring.
  
  The whole enterprise is show, show, show (witness the digitally rendered World War II-style barrage balloons floating above the Thames in honour of terror victims or the scene of carnage at the stadium), when what's needed is much more subtlety and focus. It ends up being a compendium of bizarre diversions, most of which are utterly surplus to the film's half-cocked desire to stick with the experience and emotions of its main character.

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  March 22, 2009

  rebvodka042099

  I love movies that come completely unexpected and turn out to be near to masterpieces. I recognize the fact that, for the general audience, it was mediocre and has not been endorsed by critics, but I genuinely loved it.
  
  Michelle Williams, an actress' talent I have yet to respect...( read more), actually did an excellent job. Maybe the English accent betrayed her at moments, but overall this has got to be the best role in her career. Ewan McGregor on the other hand, just based his role on his know-I-possess-it charms and blew like a balloon.
  
  This is a movie that deals with tragedy in a very unique way. It presents human nature in its worst moments and all its kingdom - presents the potential of the human soul and the heights which it strives for. I always believed that Britain was the lord of comedy, but it looks like it gains ground on tragedy as well. And the soundtrack is simply magical, wonderful, powerful.
  
  Of course, it doesn't avoid to go over the edge with excess, but that is not a reason for the movie to be frowned upon. It might get confusing and unnecessary at times, but all in all, for me, near to a masterpiece.

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  March 3, 2009

  mvieaddict

  BRIDGET JONES DIARY director Sharon Maguire tackles more serious fare with this drama featuring Michelle Williams, Ewan McGregor, and Matthew McFadyen. Williams stars as a young woman living in London that is dominated by terrorist attacks. When her husband and son are killed by ...( read more)a bomb exploding in a football stadium, she was with her lover, causing her to pile guilt on top of her grief. However, she gets a chance at redemption when she uncovers a sinister plot to cover up the nature of the attack. INCENDIARY is adapted from the novel by Chris Cleave.
  
  
  The film begins with a cute child having fun with his mummy. He's so damn cute and so damn lovable but you know he's not going to make it through the film alive. And then when you realize that the film is called Incendiary, you know he's going to get blown into a million little pieces.
  
  Now having your son die in a terrorist attack is bad enough, but the film decides to make it several degrees worse. First of all, the mother in this film is no longer in love with her husband. Therefore their relationship is rather loveless. However, not to fear, a sleazy journalist played by Ewan McGregor pops up. And soon have they exchanged a few words than they're making love on the young mother's sofa. And as they're humping and pumping, they have a football game on the television. And at this game are the woman's husband and young son. And would you believe it, as they're doing the dirty, the stadium gets bombed and it's goodbye husband and son.
  
  Amongst all some ridiculous melodrama there are a few good scenes. I found this a good one, when the mother seriously begins to lose the plot and thinks that her son has come back. She spends all her time in the flat playing with him.
  
  I bet there will be some critics about the credibility of the storyline, very often a problem with today's movies. This story could easily have been told in ten minutes. It would still have been pointless, with no meaning or message. I expected a little more.
  
  

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  December 30, 2009

  blackeyedsurfer

  While Michelle Williams delivers yet another top-notch performance, she and the rest of the talent involved are completely wasted in a film that isn't sure how to handle itself. Williams plays a woman who loses her husband and son in a suicide bombing at a London soccer match. Sh...( read more)e wasn't at the game herself because she was having an affair with a sleazy journalist she met in a bar, played by Ewan McGregor.
  
  
  
  
  
  Even with a concept that is a little far-fetched and perhaps a little more than trashy, this is the least of the film's problems. From the point of the bombing in the first act through the rest of the movie, the story completely loses itself to it's own overambition. It tries to get into heavy political and religious issues, but it doesn't delve as deep as it wants to, instead treading in safe, but unsatifsfying shallowness, and seeming unable to focus on one theme for more than a few minutes.
  
  
  
  
  
  Several plot points are completely unbelievable, not to mention ham-fisted, like the tribute the city sets up for the dead, consisting of a thousand blimps hovering over London, each one with a photo of one of the bombing victims. The image looks like a scene out of Blade Runner or Children of Men, while no other shot in the movie comes close to resembling these futuristic dystopias. What, could they not find enough marble to build a simple, elegant memorial statue?
  
  
  
  
  
  Other unsubstantial points include Williams' forged friendship with one of the suspected bombers' sons and she tracks him down and meets him on a commuter bus, and her "dear Osama Bin Laden" voiceover monologues, where she addresses the Al-Qaeda leader directly, searching for a reason for her son's death.
  
  
  
  
  
  Ewan McGregor, the "other man" in the scenario, is almost completely forgotten in the second half of the story. His journalism background provides a logical reason for him to investigate the attacks, but his character isn't given enough screentime to show his process, and his discovery of one of the bomber's identities feels too coincidental. His relationship with Williams takes a backseat, while another man comes into the forefront.
  
  
  
  
  
  Matthew MacFadyen, playing the cop assigned to the case, spends more time pursuing Williams' character romantically than actually working. He and Williams apparently knew each other previously, as her husband was also a cop, but this previous relationship is never explored, only mentioned in passing. McGregor is far more likable and seems more interested and capable in getting to the bottom of the attacks to provide Williams with some closure than MacFadyen does, and a new, honest romance could have blossomed between the two of them, but the film remains too unfocused to be a subtle character drama, choosing instead to go big and all out with it's agendas.

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  December 16, 2009

  339z

  wow umn just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a good movie 2 watch....its got a good cast of actors/actresssess throughout this movie....i think that chris ellis, enzo squillino jr, ewan mcgregor, michelle williams, matthew macfadyen, gavin brocker, nicholas co...( read more)urtney, nicholas gleaves, ricci mcleod play good roles/parts throughout this movie....i think that the director of this violence/thriller/drama movie had done a good job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie....i think that this is a really powerful drama movie 2 watch with a good cast throughout this movie..

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  December 11, 2009

  olumiere

  Direção e roteiro desencontrados proporcionam um filme decepcionante.

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  November 10, 2009

  EddieGunner

  nice movie about teroristic attack in london, on Arsenal vs Chelsea game :)
  good preformance by Ewan and that hot blond :)

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  October 11, 2009

  wwaising

  I am not sure whether the original novel or the film screenplay adaptation should be more responsible for the awkward tone of this movie. There are numerous contexts the film/ director seems eager to explore: the power of love, mother-son relationship, adultery & bizarre love tri...( read more)angles, terrorist attacks, conspiracy digging, etc. The director however fails to mix them up well which makes the film look like a messy flea market with so many abrupt & unreasonable development.

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  October 11, 2009

  perspolisgirl

  I think this wasn't very good, actually sad.

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