A Wednesday !

Rented because of Naseeruddin Shah. I have to say that this was quite a surprising turn given my initial introduction to the man as the sweet spiritual cabbie in ' Today's Special '.Still, despite the near one-hundred-eighty-degree difference in the performance, I liked the movie.Like so many films that are produced outside of the US market, the screenplay, in particular the characterizations, are sometimes difficult to adjust to. If this were a US film, it might feature a star like Steven Seagal.Every character seems to be a hyper-version of the actual person or position, more symbolic rather than an attempt at a genuine captured reflection. Pure archetypes, with no possibility of subtle variance. Police and security officers are handsome, swarthy, bold and brave - their only duty to justice. Common criminals are weak, cowardly and easily bullied; apparently slapping them in a variety of situations renders quite a positive result. And their true enemy are the terrorists - who are cold calculating heartless monsters.Films like these tends to border on societal browbeating wired to a pounding soundtrack. But if I understand India, her politics, daily life and challenges - it's reasonable in that context. Pure blacks and whites, no gray allowed.In 'Wednesday' - we start the film as the former police commissioner reflects on the most memorable case of his long career. In fact, other than the immediate participants, who were sworn to secrecy, no record exists of the actual incident. All the evidence and events covered up under the guise of less malicious crimes and terrible accidents. But what really happened was...So begins the cat-n-mouse game between a master bomber and the five devices he's planted across Mumbai. Will the authorities find the fiend before it's too late - or will they capitulate and release four terrorists?I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking for another Naseeruddin performance similar to my first exposure to the man, but this film only enhances my belief that his skill and range is formidable. A superior actor that I will continue to seek out.A decent movie that moves along a quick pace, but one that I feel could use a bit of bolstering in the reality department. Not a lot, just a touch of sprucing up the edges and tightening the script to accommodate more depth to the characters. Additionally, I felt the use of two 'top cops' was distracting and lessened the impact of both characters. I know there's a cultural aspect here that I don't get, but I still think it would've improved the focus of the film to have one single badass.If this movie's premise interested you, for comparison's sake, check out ' Unthinkable ' to see how the same material was handled a bit differently. I'm not saying better, just different.

I had seen this movie prior to purchasing. It is has good suspense and mystery until the very end. Acting is believable and the actors are attractive to watch. The reason why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is because some scenes are very violent. The violence contributes to the story but it just a lot. I bought this DVD as a gift for a co-worker.

I loved it, Naseerudin Ji, Anupam Ji, Jimmy Saab were spectacular

A very good movie. I'm happy there are english subtitles available.

Gut wrencher about the motives behind the Mumbai bombings

I hear that Bollywood cranks out an enormous number of films each year but that they essentially work 7 plots over and over. I've seen a few that would be considered world class. They have been great films. Here they enter the crime thriller genre and do a real stand-up job of it.Here's the scoop. An older man on a rooftop phones a police official and tells him he's planted six bombs throughout the city, all set to go off at the same time. His demands are simple. He wants four known terrorists released from prison and brought to a particular location. The official has little choice but sends his people to work to find out who the caller is and avoid a possibly bleak outcome. It's a game of wills and wits.This is a really cool flick. Who is this guy? What are his motives? He doesn't seem like the cold-blooded criminal he makes himself out to be. But he's planned things down to a "T" and has the officials running around gathering every bit of intel possible. I don't know many Bollywood actors but the police chief looked familiar. The acting is decent overall but two of the police officers on the case are alluded to as being worth note and they weren't. Their characters needed some big time fleshing out. The plot moved well. The villain kept everyone jumping through hoops in a logical fashion. When they deliver the punchline it's pretty cool. I half suspected it but it was neat none the less. Music and shooting were good. I suppose what it comes down to is how you feel about the villain's motives. Yes. He has his reasons but are they sound? This is a judgement call to be sure.This is a heck of a movie. It plays well to western sensibilities. And it's appropriate to what is happening in the world now. If you're into intense crime thrillers, this is a good road to travel.

"A Wednesday" is an action thriller. The movie takes place over just a couple hours. A man calls the police and threatens to detonate four bombs scattered around Mumbai unless four terrorists are released.This is not your typical Bollywood movie. There was no singing and dancing. It is also a short 103 minutes, but it is well done and moves quickly. It has a few surprising twists, but they are reasonable.The Commissionar of Police is Anupam Kher who was the father in "Bride and Prejudice."

Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher have given stellar performances in this movie which caused quite a sensation everywhere.An exasperated retired suburbanite of Mumbai (Naseeruddin Shah) revolts against the terrorist bombings of local trains in Mumbai in 2005 and becomes obsessed with how the culprits evade final justice for these heinous crimes. He embarks upon a plan to `take the law in his own hands', and mete out like punishment to the perpetrators.The single-mindedness of this `amateur' is astonishing and his simple but brilliant plan, which looks `oh so plausible' as it unfolds, is chilling.The police are coerced to do his bidding and the protagonist succeeds in swiftly delivering `an eye for an eye', on a Wednesday, and hence the title.The narrative is taut, blunt and throws all punches. It is an edge of the seat thriller, and a `must not be missed' category movie.