IMDb #161 Review: A Wednesday (2008)

Source: Wikipedia

A Mumbai police commissioner, fat and balding and about to retire, reminisces about his "most challenging case." The case isn't recorded in any file, only his mind, possibly out of embarrassment to the department.

A bomb scare quietly gripped his city, when he was younger but still fat and balding. (Props to Bollywood for not casting male swimwear models for every starring role.)

Back in the day -- a Wednesday, surprise -- an old guy sets up an ingenious tech station on the roof of an unfinished building, in broad daylight.  He telephones the commissioner about the bomb scare; he says to release four Pakistani terrorists or else kaboom. (Despite all his skills and guts, he calls himself a "stupid common man.")

Being uncommonly shrewd, he also informs a news anchor lady, on a painfully slow news day. Her job is to hound the police, get in their way, and (indirectly) keep him updated on how they're doing.

Meanwhile, the hero stews in the Mumbai police department's kickass War Room. (Doesn't your local precinct have one?) Here's where the action happens. The boss fields calls from the terrifyingly sane bomber, techies attempt to pinpoint his location, and important officials look official and important. (Heads up: you'll get sick of the Nokia Tune.)

To fight back, the cops loose the bomb-sniffing dogs, and the loose-cannon rogue cop hits the streets and smacks around scumbags and gets results.

Time passes. When authorities release the imprisoned terrorists, the inevitable HOLY CRAP twist hits like a bolt from the blue, only slightly diminished by staggeringly shitty CGI.

While we're harping on technicalities, a word about the cinematography -- frenetic. IT. CAN'T. STAY. STILL. From the rapid-fire city shots of the opening montage, to the cops marching dramatically down the street, to the mastermind sitting on a roof sipping coffee. The field of view whirls, zooms, pans, and shifts to slow-mo for reasons beyond mortal ken.

Just as the police commissioner grows to respect the would-be bomber for his true motives, I grew to respect the guy for an amazingly nuanced performance (especially the motive rant). To show that terrorism isn't just a problem in America. That everybody suffers, regardless of race or age or creed. That great films don't need enormous budgets, and talented actors need not be strikingly beautiful.

But you'd think somebody would have to fill out paperwork somewhere.

103 minutes.