Four Lions [Sundance 10]

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from my blog:

Last night I saw a screening of Four Lions, the Jihadist farce from Peep Show writers Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, that I've been looking forward to since it premiered at Sundance earlier this year.  The film is already on DVD in the UK and I was beginning to think it would never see a US release.  Watching the film I can see why it had such a hard time finding a distributor.  Because even 9 years after 9/11/01, it's still a little uncomfortable watching a movie about terrorists, especially one as smart and sharp as this one.  This is not a toothless SNL parody of Osama Bin Laden, it's a film that may make you squirm in your seat in between fits of laughter.

Director Chris Morris did a lot of research on radicalized Muslims before making the film, and though you may find some of the situations hard to believe, they're not that far from the truth.  Other than the subject matter, the other hurdle facing the film is that all the characters speak in such thick British accents (sometimes switching into another language), that at times it's hard to understand them.  There are still plenty of laugh out loud moments, even if you may miss some of the films subtleties on first viewing.  As the film goes on it gets a little darker and more poignant than I had expected, which is usually the sign of a great comedy.

[cronopio 2]

chris morris has been doing a lot of press for this movie, i recommend googling them because, as i've said it before, he strikes me as one of the smartest persons working in entertainment.

four lions is a very low key classic, along with in the loop.

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Yeah he seemed super-smart and quick witted, but I thought that was like, all British people.

[Sleepless]

Yes. We are.

[Stefen]

^but you're a Texan now, so you're the opposite! 

[Sleepless]

Damnit.

[RegularKarate]

This is on Netflix Instant now!

If you haven't seen it yet, see it!

[socketlevel]

I really liked it, i'd give it a 7.5/10. I do think it's over-hyped though... not by much... but a little.

[Reinhold]

that over-hype comment caught my eye because i loved this film but i find myself talking about it in a way that suggests i REALLY FUCKING LOVED THIS FILM. to start, i should say that in fact i loved everything about this moviegoing experience (with matt, at an alamo drafthouse in austin) so there's some positive bias there. the film is also charming and well cut. for other people, i think the over-hype that it might be getting probably partly stems from the fact that it's a good comedy, and a good contemporary film from Britain. either one of those things individually is enough to get pretty excited about when it comes along. speaking for myself, it's a real shame that the film didn't get wider distribution. all that being said, i felt the film straining a bit to stay light if not funny (perhaps vice versa?) at the end-- but i have no good ideas on how i might have handled it. on the whole the film was very successful, extremely enjoyable, and even somewhat thought provoking. it's not the greatest thing i've ever seen but for those reasons it is one of the best films i've seen in the last year and it certainly demonstrates a lot of what i love about films in general. i guess my point is that it's hard not to describe this film without over-hyping it simply because it is so likable.

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+++SPOILERS***

i guess my point is that it's hard not to describe this film without over-hyping it simply because it is so likable.

Some of the jokes aren't that funny, and some are great. the scene at the university was gold, and when he drives the car into the wall shortly after had me laughing pretty hard. I actually really liked the ending and the tone change. I just think some of the early jokes could have been a little more developed.

I didn't like how the cops essentially made the same mistake twice in a row, once shooting the guy in the parade and then essentially we're given the same thing with the owner of the restaurant.  my gripes are small, and i think it's a really good film, i just think if a tiny bit more was put into the script stage, it really coulda been something special.

the most fascinating part of the film was the one guy's wife, great choice in acting and well directed. The scenes with the family are very disturbing in how touching they are.