In the Loop (2009)

Touches You

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Blistering performances.

To clear up some confusion this is essentially a spin-off of 'The Thick Of It' written and directed by the same people, with the same actors and some of the same characters. This is not a film of the show, it is using the show as a jumping off point through which to sharply and brilliantly satirize the political ineptitude which caused the Iraq War. In my opinion is it is just as funny as the original show, even at it's best.

I have to admit both me and my wife could handle no more than 30 or so minutes of this so called 'movie'. I am not native English speaker but i am fairly good at it, can understand usually 95%+ movies and 100% normal dialogue. But in this flick they just swear so fast, i had to constantly watch subtitles to get just like 70%, and still half of that was really just swearing. I don't mind the swearing really, i swear a lot myself but this was clearly over productive. Not funny and annoying.Real disaster was camera work. If you really want to see it, do yourself a mercy and watch it on as small screen as possible, since shaky camera and constant switches / zooming made us both dizzy and uncomfortable.I usually like British movies, but this one was truly bad...

Channel surfing late one night,I came across a new Comedy show on the BBC by Alan Partridge creator Armando Iannucci.Knowing nothing about the series,I was left breathless by the lightning fast one liners being joined by a satirical edge which gave the comedy a dramatic bite.After the series, (which is now my third all time favourite TV show) got me interested in political and satirical Comedy,I was delighted to find a companion film which allowed Iannucci's creation to fire on all cylinders. Realising that I have just written my 999th IMDb review,I decided that I would mark my 29th birthday by writing my 1000th review for my 10th favourite film of all time.The plot:During a radio interview MP Simon Foster is asked if he believes that the government are planning a war in the Middle East.Going against his own party line,Foster says that he sees no chance of a war taking place.Arriving at party hq,Foster is surrounded by "Director of Communications"/spin Malcolm Tucker,who tells Foster to not go off track,and to walk the government line.Hearing Foster's comments,visiting US Assistant Secretary of State Karen Clark invites Foster to a meeting about fears of a secret committee in the US setting out plans for a war in the Middle East.Trying to stick to the government line,Foster soon finds his beliefs being invaded by Malcolm Tucker.View on the film:Toning down the rough edge,moc-doc style of the series,co- writer/(along with Jesse Armstrong/ Simon Blackwell/ Tony Roche & Ian Martin)director Armando Iannucci and cinematographer Jamie Cairney give the film a wonderful reserved gloss,with smoothly delivered whip- pans injecting a documentary intimacy within the movie,and also allowing the viewer to catch every crisp one liner.Going to the US, Iannucci and Cairney peel away any US landmarks with obscured side shots which match Foster's deflated response to his first US visit.Giving the film a timelessness by smartly not naming the parties or the Middle East country that "The West" is on a path to war with,the writers cover the title wall to wall with acid-tongue punchlines,as each of Malcolm Tucker's merciless verbal attacks destroy his opponent/ministers limb by limb.Hanging a cloud of war over the title,the writers hit the title with ruthless satirical fangs,as every side from the left,right & centre gets struck,as every cracking exchange exposes the characters being more concerned about keeping their spot safe than doing what is best for diplomacy.Entering the movie like a fire breathing dragon, Peter Capaldi gives a ferocious performance as Malcolm Tucker,whose every blood spilling line of dialogue Capaldi chews with a delicious relish. Joined by a stern James Gandolfini and a sweet Anna Chlumsky,Tom Holland (who played the PM in MI5!) gives a hilarious performance as Simon Foster,by making every frozen with fear stare that Foster makes over sharing the "wrong" opinion reveal how out of the loop Foster is.

Aside from the fact that for reasons of continuity/plausibility several of the supporting characters from DoSAC had to be given slightly altered identities so they could play out a scenario on the international stage, this is very much part and parcel of the Thick Of It canon and of an equal level of excellence. There's an added dimension of gravity and sadness to it as rather than the usual DoSAC trivia the usual gang of idiots is dealing with the circumstances leading up to the Blair administration's facilitating the Bush administration's phony rationale for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and that act of treachery is personified by the reckless, bumbling actions of Toby/Ollie and the scheming Malcolm Tucker, who as never before or after is shown as the hustling Machiavellian pawn of more powerful players. It's an important element in the continuity of the TV series as it explains why Ollie and Malcolm get such a savage comeuppance in the ensuing fourth series.