Incendiary: The Willingham Case

Released Oct 7, 2011

1 hr. 42 min.

Drama

Crime

List

83%

23 Reviews

Tomatometer

87%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmakers Steve Mims and Joe Bailey Jr. investigate the case involving Cameron Todd Willingham, a convicted arsonist executed in 2004.

Read More

Read Less

Apple TV

Rent Incendiary: The Willingham Case on Apple TV, or buy it on Apple TV.

Audience Member

Saw this at the 2011 SXSW festival in Austin. GREAT MOVIE, learned a lot with the director's Q&A. I've met many of those in the movie and learned extensively about the story; I'm a Texas anti-death penalty activist, so yes, I am biased; however, I am also a believer in science and evidence. After I saw this movie, the doubt I had about Willingham's innocence was gone.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I've seen this movie five times. It is beautifully filmed, fascinating and disturbing. I see something new each time I watch it. The cut has also changed over time, as the filmmakers added an epilogue to bring viewers up to date with recent developments. Truly an eye-opening experience that produces lively post-show conversation.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

My sentiments lie with the filmmakers; the death penalty is bad regardless of guilt or innocence. But the filmmakers interview the unsympathetic defense attorney in mic-shot of cocks crowing, while everybody else gets the dignity of an office interview. Feels an awful lot like loading the dice and furthering the rural/urban divide. Then the film gets mired in contentious official hearings.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Joe Bailey Jr.

Director

Steve Mims

Director

David Martin

Actor

Liz Gilbert

Actor

Rick Perry

Actor

Barry Scheck

Actor

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

%

%

Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen

%

%

Tiger

%

%

Hip-Hop and The White House

%

%

Tigers on the Rise

88%

84%

Monkey Man

TRAILER

for Monkey Man

93%

%

Something You Said Last Night

%

%

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two

%

92%

La Cha Cha

%

%

The Moon and Back

%

%

Max Beyond

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Sheri Linden

Los Angeles Times

Alarming viewing for anyone who cares about the American justice system.

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 19, 2011

Full Review

Chris Vognar

Dallas Morning News

Highly engaging.

Rated: B+

Oct 13, 2011

Full Review

Kyle Smith

New York Post

Raises interesting and important questions but suffers from poor organization and glosses over or ignores inconvenient facts.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 7, 2011

Full Review

Neely Swanson

Easy Reader (California)

Incendiary in every sense of the word.

Sep 18, 2017

Full Review

John Esther

UR Chicago Magazine

As sober as a lab report, the excellent documentary metes out its findings with calm precision.

Jun 27, 2012

Full Review

Brent Simon

Shockya.com

Rather flatly told but still engaging throughout, this doc should appeal to both newsmagazine junkies and those impassioned by the death penalty debate.

Rated: B

Nov 19, 2011

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Filmmakers Steve Mims and Joe Bailey Jr. investigate the case involving Cameron Todd Willingham, a convicted arsonist executed in 2004.

Director: Joe Bailey Jr., Steve Mims
Distributor: Truly Indie
Genre: Drama, Crime
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 7, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 2, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $21.9K

Most Popular at Home Now