Terrorism Americans can’t relate to

“Black Friday” begins with the tragic refusal by authorities to act on a tip that extremist attacks are about to occur in a major city. What follows are gruesome images of terrorism, followed by a detailed account of the investigation of the March 12, 1993, Bombay bombings that killed more than 250 and injured 1,400.

It’s hard for outsiders to know if the events of the Indian docu-drama (subtitled in English) have the cultural significance in that country that those of 9/11 have in the U.S., although the attacks are described by some as the most devastating in India’s history. Still, the thriller/police procedural/political movie undoubtedly has resonance for its intended audience that others will strain to detect. It’s possible that the invocation of the name “Tiger Memon” may inspire “Osama bin Laden”-like revulsion in those familiar with the story, but for those out of the loop, it’s hard to track characters and events, especially with the film’s jumbled chronology.

In this way, “Black Friday” is simultaneously too detailed and not detailed enough. It devotes considerable time, for example, to a terrorist on the lam, an overlong segment that feels less like a psychological study than a depressed travelogue. Meanwhile, the broader strokes of the events will largely perplex audiences unfamiliar with recent Indian history.

For the uninitiated, it will be helpful to know that Bombay (now Mumbai) was rocked by bloody riots in 1992 and 1993, warring between the Hindu and Muslim communities that killed as many as 1,500. In retaliation for reported atrocities by Hindus, a Muslim gangland figure (Memon) with ties to extremist groups apparently plotted the Bombay bombings.

The movie offers a startling view of police procedures in India, depicting the use of hammers on suspects as business as usual, although the forensics practices shown will not impress. Similarly unmoving is the portrayal of the perpetrators as whining and cowardly.

Even with the torture, the interrogation scenes lack tension. There are odd moments of broad comedy in the generally deadly serious movie that Americans would find mortifying in a film about 9/11, as when the lengthy foot chase of a suspect is played for laughs.

Only fleetingly are philosophical comments voiced; based on the book by S. Hussain Zaidi, the movie supposedly sticks to the facts. If it does, the intended audience of “Black Friday” may find it a valuable historical document of a tragedy.

“Black Friday.” Unrated. Running time: 2 hours, 23 minutes. In Hindi with English subtitles. Exclusively at the Naz8 Artesia, 6440 E. South St., Lakewood, (510) 797-2000.