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Incendiary (2008)

Director: Sharon Maguire

Time Out rating

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3 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

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 Chris 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.

Author: Dave Calhoun 2008-10-21 14:10:11

Time Out London Issue 1992: October 23-29, 2008

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User reviews of this film

monkeyboy said...

Posted on Jun 22 2009 16:56 or rather the person below. i'm obviously a twat as well.

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monkeyboy said...

Posted on Jun 22 2009 16:55 ^^^ twat

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MelancholicAlcoholic said...

Posted on Mar 06 2009 20:36 My father always told me to be wary of reviewers who label their subject as one which is multi layered ("the fatal problem is that this is a film with an identity crisis."). It tells you one thing: That these reviewers have problems with understanding complex issues. Phrases like "doesn't know what it wants to be" etc., might've sounded 'phat!' ten years ago, but are sooooooo nineties.
Especially if said reviewers get essential details wrong, one should be mistrustful about their skills, and whether they'd actually SEEN the film in question.
I'm referring of course, to the mother's meeting with the bombers son, which was of course the completely logical conclusion of the journalists' actions, which themselves were borne out of a desire to win the mother back, which was totally understandable because of his guilt and her being highly attractive AND a damsel in distress, too.
This is clearly a film about guilt, both hers and his, and dealing with grief and death of loved ones. The fact that there is some sort of institutional misdeeds is not there to show conspiracy, but to show that we all f up, sometimes. The references to the shooting/execution of the innocent Brazilian in the subway in 2007, are clear and intentional.
This is a great film, I really dunno what everybody is on about. Aside from the whole accent thing (we know that Williams' accent is fake, it is not perfect, but adequate. If we hadn't known that she was an American, most of us would've never guessed.) This is a near flawless film, storywise. Williams again, delivers on the acting skills. She has been since childhood a talented actress, whose talent can be obscured, at times by her beauty. It can be more of an obstacle to her work, than an asset. Sometimes. Even she, can't have it all ....

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