Incendiary [DVD]

Firstly, I think the synopsis of Incendiary (before the reviews), where it describes Michelle Williams' character as a 'promiscuous adulteress' is way off the mark. Although she does have an affair, this seems to be something she enters into after much hesitation and is in no way promiscuous. I found those comments in the synopsis a bit harsh and mildly misogynous.

This movie takes a route that's quite different from the book, which (I thought) concentrated more on the erosion of civil liberties by the government and how it manipulates and destroys people's lives, while the film is more about the personal grief of a single person. I found these differences made the original story almost irrelevant to the tale being told in the movie. The story of personal grief told in the film could easily have been accomplished by way of an original screenplay, without adapting the book at all.

Michelle Williams is outstanding in this film, easily the best thing about it. Her accent is very convincing and more that once I got teary watching her performance. The scene where Ewan McGregor's character Jasper visits her in the hospital was particularly moving. McGregor is very good too but I felt his character was sidelined about halfway through and by the end was largely irrelevant.

As for the direction, I thought it at times was too sentimental. For example, the flashbacks of her son on the beach were used far too much. I felt as though I was being clobbered and at one point I said out loud, 'Yes, I get it! Give it a rest!'. I also found the overuse of sentimental music during these scenes irritating. I think this is because I was expecting a different story - ie the one in the book. In the end, the finished film was worthy but not 'incendiary' in the way the book was.

A real thriller, if ever I saw one. Characters beautifully cast, scenery well chosen and atmosphere full of suspense. Core of plot is guilt trip by unfaithful wife. Mother and son bonding, search for lost spouse, illicit love affair turning serious and a police officer with a hidden agenda could easily have been ingredients for an excessive adaptation of Chris Cleave's novel. No mediocrocy here! Sharon Maguire managed to direct the above items into a stylish and moving yet introvert film. The overall chemistry between Michelle Williams and Ewan McGregor certainly helped things along. I'd recommend this film to anyone who's into 'intelligent action' drama.
Note about the accent spoken in the film: Of course I recognised the Cockney slang. A welcoming change from any American chatter. While English is not my native speech I fully understand British accents, whereas I always need to use subtitles when watching an American film. With EastEnders being my favourite soap, watching Incendiay almost felt 'like home'.

I thought this film was interpeted extremely well and there was allot of natural chemistry between the actors which makes them particularly adapted to their roles. It's refreshing to see a film that reflects real life and more atune to the magiority of us struggling to make ends meet. It was exquisite to see a real mother loving her child which I saw little of in general in my life.
The film kept me interested and wondering what would happen next. I really loved Michelle Williams character who at first seemed quite a flirt then showed her true colors as a mature woman willing to stand up for what she felt and not take the easy way out.