Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Conall McCormick Like many other people, the reason I came to watch "A Wednesday" was because it features in the current IMDB top 250 list. The film was also necessary viewing for the top 250 lists of 2016 and 2017 previously. I was quite confused, and immediately sceptical, as to why this 2008 Indian film was only recently coming into the spotlight. For most other movies, this usually indicates a film of high quality. However, as my 5/10 (average) rating suggests, "A Wednesday" is a film FAR removed from the quality required to merit such a position. It is notable to say that of the 198 films I have seen of the current top 250, this film has received the lowest rating from myself.With that context in mind, I shall now talk about my assessment of the film. The most egregious aspects of "A Wednesday" are definitely in the "action" set pieces. The physical confrontations (one interrogation scene and another chase scene) are woefully uncoordinated to the point of parody. The acting in these scenes fall under heavy scrutiny, unfortunately, as a direct result of this and is entirely unconvincing. The sound editing is perhaps the worst part of these scenes (it sounds like it's come directly from a children's toy/soundboard). It is so jarring that it would have undermined the action scenes even if they had been well choreographed. The special effects are also unconvincing but, since it has a minute presence, it doesn't hinder the film too greatly. I am also unaware if there were budgetary limitations the film had in its making so I don't think it would be entirely fair for me to condemn it for that. Luckily, there is little action to corrupt the entire film but this has led to some reviewers stating that the film is a boring office set piece as a result. I'd be inclined to disagree as the film's premise out with the action offered the greatest potential that the film ultimately failed to fully fulfil. A further, but more pervasive "flaw" is in the film's editing. There is an overabundance of slow-motion footage and abrupt cuts. However, I would say that although the film's editing will come across as a bit cheesy it is still of an adequate quality. This could be as much a case of time working against the film if anything (although I doubt that is the case).I will now address the more positive aspects that the film has to offer. The acting from the main cast is decent for the most part; Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah play the police commissioner (Prakash Rathod) and the "terrorist" known only as "The Common Man" play off of each other well. The script is decent and has some interesting dialogue (one scene comes to mind were Rathod tests his officer's commitment to finding the bombs was a highlight) but I felt that the concept had a lot more potential than its final product. The villain's motivations were interesting and certainly more 3 dimensional than your typical action movie, however, again, I felt that they could have gone into more depth into his character. The conclusion seems to inspire a profound sense of patriotism in the Indian people (hence its high rating) when the two stars finally come together. Whilst understandable, I was a bit disappointed that they didn't go further with the moral conflict here and didn't attempt to provide a more nuanced argument. The film reminded me of the anime "Death Note" to some degree and I was hoping to see a high stakes battle of wits unfold similar to the likes of "L" and "Light Yagami" or between "Sherlock Holmes" and "Moriarty". The secondary villains (a group of terrorists) are played well enough but I felt that they were more 1 dimensional in presentation. I'd also finish by saying that the cinematography for the film is suitably engaging and the camera is dynamic enough to keep your concentration during the film's slower segments.I'd like to finish on a more positive note as I attempt to lend some support to this film. I noticed that "A Wednesday" had a 5.4 rating from the "top 1000 voters" on IMDB with the highest percentage (22.5%) of those giving the film a rating of 1/10. In the same way that I have criticised people who have overrated this film (resulting in its unjust placement in the top 250) I feel that I also need to criticise those who are being equally unreasonable in their negativity. Objectively speaking, this film does a lot of things fairly well and others poorly thus warranting its 5/10 (average) rating from myself. "A Wednesday" is a competently enough made film with a coherent story, decent acting and cinematography etc so it could DEFINITELY be a lot worse. I wonder how many top 1000 voters have seen the IMDB's BOTTOM 100 movies as a frame of reference. I've even seen top 1000 voters give the likes of "Jaws" and "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" 1/10 ratings! To summarise, this film is highly overrated on IMDB and shouldn't be on the top 250. At the same time, it is a decent enough movie which works well enough within its limitations- I doubt "A Wednesday" was made with the intent of becoming an all-time great film! Just a simple, honest thriller. I found it moderately enjoyable, if forgettable, and think it should be recognised as such. Don't take out your anger out on the film for its high rating, it's not its fault, so I just ask reviewers to be fair in their assessment. If you're the kind of person to give this film a 1/10 rating just to take it off of the top 250 then you're just being hypocritical! Be consistent and objective in your criticism and, hopefully, this will encourage others to do the same.

will-790 This is quite possibly the worst film I've ever seen.The acting (in most places) is often terrible.The directing/editing is also terrible (far too many half speed shots and poorly executed montages with a lack of coherent shots).The special FX (the airport bomb scene) were comically bad. And the sound effects for the "fight" scenes were also comical.I could go on and on. How this is in the top 250 IMDb films is beyond me. Whilst watching we were unsure whether the film was meant to be satirical.Perhaps the only redeeming factors are the soundtrack and the somewhat interesting moral dilemma raised in the protagonist's 10 minute nonsensical monologue.Do not bother watching this.

Johan Dondokambey The movie may seem strange at first. As like other Bollywood movies, the audience actually sees the movie's first image long after the movie started, precisely at about 2:30 minute. The story also dragged at the opening, without really displaying any real threat. Even the first bomb is revealed as an actual bomb way long after the threat has been submitted. When the main conflict has kicked in the movie takes on a nice pace to build up its story. And as the movie progresses, the twists presented feel very much unpredictable, although highly unlikely to happen in a real life scenario. Yet this movie finishes with so many unnecessary scenes put in, with plot holes unresolved, such as the actor who came at the beginning. The acting work is really typical Bolywood movie, most of the main cast did a standard job to keep the serious element of the movie running, but the rest of the cast just overdone their performances, making the movie look hyperbolic.

tjvinod97 What its about (No spoilers):A Wednesday is a Bollywood Terrorist vs Police thriller. As its title suggests, the entire movie takes place over the course of a single Wednesday. The movie is mainly a battle of wits type movie where the main protagonist and antagonist do not really meet face to face, not unlike the 'Death Note' series and the Sherlock- Moriarty storyline in the Sherlock Holmes series. Neeraj Pandey did a very good job directing and writing this movie, which was his debut. The fast editing cuts felt very similar to that of certain terrorism scenes in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, and they made the scenes a lot more heart pounding. The throbbing soundtrack further adds to this sensation. Characters:The variety of characters added, such as a reporter, police officers and police commissioner provide depth to the situation and show how one man is affecting various people. These characters were set up particularly cleverly, by leaving audiences in the dark regarding their importance to the storyline for most of the first act.The terrorist was very interesting to watch, partly because of the methodical way that he operated. He also is given a measure of vulnerability, which made him more human and all the more interesting. The heroes are a little less interesting, but the procedures they use to try to solve the problem are entertaining non the less. Story and themes:The script is tightly woven, with barely any dull moments. Utilising action over dialogue to tell the story, it commands attention. Some moments, like the first scene in the movie, did feel a little unnecessary, and seemed to be added just for the stylistic effect of foreshadowing. For the most part, the plot is very believable, and they show all the terrorists actions systematically, leaving no room for plot holes. However, I had a slight issues with the twist at the end. It was slightly anti climatic, and while I could understand the reason behind it, I can't say I wasn't hoping for more. Also, I did not see the point in some scenes with a certain violent police officer, and they could have developed his character in a much shorter time. Some very thought provoking themes were also brought up. Questions about the legal system and the damage that one man could cause were addressed. While these themes aren't novel in any way, they are still relevant. The film makers thankfully did manage to communicate these questions in a way that wasn't too preachy. Verdict:By balancing thrilling drama with thought provoking themes, A Wednesday's position as one of the most well received Bollywood Dramas is justified. While not on the same level as Christopher Nolan's masterpiece, I can see why many refer to it as 'India's Dark Knight'.