Incendiary (2008)

A silly tale involving an unbelievably young top anti-terror cop, an unrealistic journalist, laughable imaginary letters to Bin Laden and a far-fetched friendship between the mum and the bomber’s son.

Michelle Williams is a fine and versatile actor but even she has her limits and is never really convincing as a working-class Londoner struggling with guilt and grief.

After that, cliché piles upon cliché, interspersed with moments of wild unreality and some ill-thought out conspiracy theory. It makes you feel embarrassed for everyone involved.

While individual scenes work well, the whole simply defies belief. And, because of this, the final polemic which suggests that London, constantly renewing itself, will never be defeated, simply appears hopelessly sentimental.

But it maintains its connection with us through Williams' fiercely open-hearted portrayal of a woman losing her grip on her life. And this is just emotional and offbeat enough to make the film worth a look.

Even more problematic is that the Young Woman's lover (the Ewan McGregor one) works for the Daily Express. None of this is calculated to warm your cockles.

If a member of cast could save a film, Michelle Williams would be the person to hire, since her central performance in this muddle of a movie is the only thing that stops it being unwatchable.

a well-made film featuring good actors and which tells an intimate story, but which tries to do too much and collapses under the weight of its own aspirations

Williams is magnificent in her role -- though they beat the living hell out of her, to a point where it almost becomes ridiculous.