[go: up one dir, main page]

    Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Incendiary

  • 2008
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
9.2K
YOUR RATING
Ewan McGregor and Michelle Williams in Incendiary (2008)
Story of a young mother whose life is changed forever by a terrorist attack on London.
Play trailer2:05
1 Video
24 Photos
Psychological DramaDramaRomanceThriller

A woman's life is forever changed when tragedy strikes at a soccer match.A woman's life is forever changed when tragedy strikes at a soccer match.A woman's life is forever changed when tragedy strikes at a soccer match.

  • Director
    • Sharon Maguire
  • Writers
    • Chris Cleave
    • Sharon Maguire
  • Stars
    • Michelle Williams
    • Ewan McGregor
    • Matthew Macfadyen
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.8/10
    9.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Sharon Maguire
    • Writers
      • Chris Cleave
      • Sharon Maguire
    • Stars
      • Michelle Williams
      • Ewan McGregor
      • Matthew Macfadyen
    • 48User reviews
    • 41Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:05
    Trailer

    Photos23

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 19
    View Poster

    Top cast40

    Edit
    Michelle Williams
    Michelle Williams
    • Young Mother
    Ewan McGregor
    Ewan McGregor
    • Jasper Black
    Matthew Macfadyen
    Matthew Macfadyen
    • Terrence Butcher
    Nicholas Gleaves
    Nicholas Gleaves
    • Lenny
    Sidney Johnston
    Sidney Johnston
    • The Boy
    Usman Khokhar
    • The Bomber's Son
    Sasha Behar
    • The Bomber's Wife
    Ed Hughes
    Ed Hughes
    • Danny Walsh
    • (as Edward Hughes)
    Alibe Parsons
    Alibe Parsons
    • Pearl
    Stewart Wright
    • Charlie
    Al Ashton
    • Male Survivor
    • (as Al Hunter Ashton)
    Benjamin Wilkin
    • Young Policeman
    Robin Berry
    • Dazed Supporter
    Mercy Ojelade
    • Nurse Mena
    Joe Marshall
    • Gary…
    Nicholas Courtney
    Nicholas Courtney
    • Archbishop of Canterbury
    Jonathan Andrews
    • Police Officer at Station
    Monty Fromant
    • Security Guard
    • Director
      • Sharon Maguire
    • Writers
      • Chris Cleave
      • Sharon Maguire
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews48

    5.89.2K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    5hall895

    It's a bomb

    A young mother sees her husband and four-year old son off to a soccer match. She then goes home and puts the match on the television. As she watches there are explosions at the stadium. A terrorist attack kills her husband, who she didn't much like anyway, and her son, who she loved dearly, along with a thousand or so others. Oh, and as the young mother watches this unfold on the television screen she is at that moment having sex with another man.

    This seems to set up a story about the young mother's guilt and grief. And there's some of that. But there's a bunch of other stuff too, none of which really works. There are conspiracy thriller elements which go practically nowhere. There are romantic entanglements as a couple of men who should really know better try to swoop in on the newly widowed young mother. In a portion of the film which strains credulity to the breaking point we see the young mother reach out to the son of one of the suicide bombers. The film goes off in so many different directions that it ends up being quite a mess. The young mother manages to hold herself together remarkably well given the circumstances. For a while anyway. But eventually she starts to crack and when she does the movie cracks too. At this point it is beyond repair.

    If there is anything positive to say it is that, working from a rather lousy script, Michelle Williams still does remarkably well in the role of the young mother. Whatever little successes this movie has belong to Williams. Ewan McGregor is at least passable as one of her suitors. As the other Matthew Macfadyen is a total dud and he also draws the shortest straw, getting the absolute worst of all the film's terrible dialogue. Some of the things this character says are just laughably, impossibly bad. He speaks in a way human beings simply do not speak. The film aims for melodrama but misses the mark. The story doesn't really engage and it moves at a snail's pace. A story more focused on the mother herself and the way she coped with this tragedy might have worked. But this movie gets bogged down as it veers off in other directions. Williams does the best she can but her noble effort can't save this dud.
    7smatysia

    Michelle Williams performance is the best part of the film

    I had never heard of this film, nor did I read anything about it on IMDb beforehand, so I had no expectations whatsoever when I sat down for it. By 20 minutes in, I was enjoying it a lot. Michelle Williams was putting on a London accent which seemed flawless to me. (Okay, I'm a Texan, what do I know about English accents?) The big event seemed to be done pretty well. The film is mainly psychological, about dealing with loss. Miss Williams does very well with this material, and indeed, her performance is the best part of the film. But when I got into the final third of the film, my enjoyment started to flag. The flashback scenes were way overdone, even though I get that it was the director's way of showing the character's break with reality. And in the end, the character's shocking naivete about the mindset of Islamic terrorists was extremely jarring. Overall, I liked the movie, but I am not sure that I could recommend it to anyone else.
    8shultzl

    Everyone is a critic!

    I have seen a negative review on this movie and I have to say that I am very tired of people picking apart movies to show how smart they think they are! This was a tragic and beautifully filmed movie that reminded me so much of The Sweet Hereafter. I believe that some people have a hard time watching others go through tragedy and grief and are uncomfortable expressing themselves. This movie drew a lump to my throat the size of a golf ball and made me hug my son extra hard at bedtime. Michelle Williams gives another outstanding performance and Ewan MacGregor is, as always, a complete pleasure to watch on screen. This film will come out on DVD this year and I would urge anyone with a heart to embrace it.
    8a_difference-1

    expectations..

    i think the main problem with the movie isn't the movie, it's that people are going in expecting a thriller instead of a drama. yes the major plot points could be covered in 5 minutes.. but that's not the point of drama. your average thriller is about things that happen and happen to have people in them. this movie is about the people and how they feel and cope when something momentous happens. if you appreciate that you'll appreciate the movie better, or not watch it cos it's not something that appeals to you.. and that's fair enough.

    As far as the film goes, Michelle Williams carries it well. The accent's fine and the various states she goes through as she tries to deal with what has happened never feel you leaving disconnected or not understanding how she got there.

    McGregor is his usual charming self, tho his is not really a major part (likewise MacFadyen), this is a movie about the mother and so these two don't get an awful lot of screen time.

    The one fault i'd say is that the passage of time is not particularly well expressed particularly right at the end of the film when what seems to be a present day Ewan is wearing the exact same outfit as in the next scene which must be set sometime after.

    Regardless, it's a decent movie, but requiring empathy.. so if you prefer action flicks, watch something else.
    Gordon-11

    Beautifully shot but slow and unfocused

    This film is about a woman who lost her husband and son in a terror attack. Her life goes into a mess as she deals with her loss and hunts for the truth.

    I have mixed feelings for "Incendiary". On one hand, it is beautifully shot. Every scene is nicely planned and constructed. Camera work is great too. On the other hand, the plot is confusing and strange. The pacing is excruciatingly slow, with a lot of repetitive scenes (such as London burning).

    I also think "Incendiary" is not focused enough, as it tries to deal with too many topics including grief, guilt, quest for truth and the road to healing. If the filmmakers only focused on grief and guilt, without the subplots of the anti-terrorist guy or the suspect's family, I would have enjoyed the film more. Despite of Michelle Williams' superb acting, I find "Incendiary" disappointing and boring.

    More like this

    Manipulation
    6.0
    Manipulation
    Young Adam
    6.3
    Young Adam
    Voyeur
    5.0
    Voyeur
    Amelia
    5.8
    Amelia
    Wish You Were Here
    5.9
    Wish You Were Here
    Tomato Red
    5.7
    Tomato Red
    Damsel
    5.6
    Damsel
    La vie devant ses yeux
    6.2
    La vie devant ses yeux
    Jolene
    6.4
    Jolene
    Spooks and Creeps
    5.8
    Spooks and Creeps
    The Dark
    5.3
    The Dark
    Mod Squad
    4.3
    Mod Squad

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Natalie Dormer filmed two days, playing the role of Ewan McGregor's girlfriend, but her role ended up on the cutting room floor. Nevertheless, she called it a "great experience".
    • Goofs
      When Ewan MacGregor's character is checking the attendees list for the May Day game the game shows as Chelsea v Arsenal indicating that Chelsea were the home team, however the explosion was said to be in North London, presumably at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, and the Chelsea ground is in West London.
    • Quotes

      Young Mother: I wonder, did you celebrate when you heard my boys got killed? Did you turn on the radio and hear them say a thousand and three dead? Did you put down your mouth over the rocks and kneel down to pray? I prayed. I prayed for the deaths toll to go up to a thousand and four and take me too.

    • Crazy credits
      As part of the usual disclaimer at the end: "No persons, companies or businesses (including football clubs) shown or mentioned in the film have endorsed or are otherwise commercially associated with this production."
    • Connections
      Features Top Gear (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      Go West
      Written by Henri Belolo, Jacques Morali and Victor Willis

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ17

    • How long is Incendiary?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 24, 2008 (United Kingdom)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • Cayman Islands
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Trái Bom Khủng Bố
    • Filming locations
      • Camber Sands, Camber, East Sussex, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Aramid Entertainment Fund
      • Archer Street Productions
      • Capitol Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $10,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $304,127
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Ewan McGregor and Michelle Williams in Incendiary (2008)
    Top Gap
    What is the Brazilian Portuguese language plot outline for Incendiary (2008)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.