Black Friday

Black Friday is set in 1993, but 'œits subject matter couldn't be more urgent,' said Matt Zoller Seitz in The New York Times. This fascinating nonfiction thriller examines how religious hatred tranforms into violence. On March 12, 1993, militant members of India's Muslim minority set off 15 bombs in Bombay. More than a thousand people were injured, and 257 died when car and scooter bombs hit hotels, shopping centers, and the Bombay Stock Exchange building. Black Friday, a passionate but judgment-free account of March 12, deserves to be considered alongside Munich, The Battle of Algiers, and other clash-of-civilizations classics. This isn't just a serious film, it's a great one, said Kirk Honeycutt in The Hollywood Reporter. Director Anurag Kashyap juggles multiple story lines and a nonchronological series of scenes with grace. 'œThe use of slow motion and crane shots gives the viewer an almost God-like view of the carnage that transpires in his name.' But if you think that religious violence is all about God, think again, said Maitland McDonagh in TVGuide.com. Kashyap guides us through the network of relationships and motivations that led to the March 12 carnage. While those who carried out the bombings were true believers, those who planned it were thinking more about old grudges. The idea that religious terrorism isn't all about faith is 'œfood for thought' in the post-9/11 age.

Rating: Not Rated

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