Film Review: In The Loop
Article published: Friday, May 15th 2009
Film review: In The Loop
With rumours of an Anglo-American intervention in the Middle East germinating, the constantly befuddled Minister for International Development (Tom Hollander) lets slip on Radio 4 that a future war is unforeseeable. Both the hawks and doves in Washington seize upon his comments, leading to a trip to Capitol Hill that oscillates between raising his international profile and completely destroying his career. Meanwhile, some UN votes need buying, a dossier needs sexing up and a British aid sleeps with his US counterpart in a last ditch attempt to stop a war.
The Thick of It was the saving grace of recent BBC comedy output spin-off In the Loop restores faith in the ability of BBC Films. Only one character has been carried over from the series in the form of Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capraldi), although actors from the series return in new roles notably Chris Addison as Toby. The transition from television to film is not without its sticking points, especially the faux-documentary presentation which by now has managed to outlive the trend it was mocking. Yet rather than transplant the New Labour excesses that form the target of The Thick of It to American politics, Armando Iannucci astutely picks out new Washington based running jokes principally the age of officials in Washington, who are often fresh out of university.
What makes The Thick of It great farcical plotlines and the inventive dialogue remains intact. The film builds to a crescendo of swearing and desperate, malevolent plotting with Tucker as the centrepiece. But the reliance upon this one character is weaved into a constant flurry of brilliant one-liners, insightful satire and sharp observations. Indeed, there is a certain political prescience about some of the jokes – such as one about an MP not wanting to watch hotel porn in case it appears on his expenses – as their real-life ‘inspiration’ occurred only after the film was completed.
As a satire, it suffers from a problem that it refers to events from six years ago and lacks freshness. But as a retrospective, it reminds us what a monstrous course of action preceded the invasion of Iraq. Possibly the most disturbing fact about the build up was not simply that they were clearly lying, but also that they couldnt even be bothered to lie properly and the desperateness and hilarity of this situation is milked to comic brilliance.
Whilst the Ministers are portrayed in a largely sympathetic light, at worst seeming indifferent and incompetent, there are nevertheless attacks on their careerism. Inspired by a passage in the diary of the former International Development Secretary Claire Short in which she decided that the braver thing to do would be to not resign, Hollanders character tries to persuade himself – and others – of the same. The moments when he exudes some humanity such as stating that starting wars is exactly what he didnt go into politics to do wither feebly in the overall picture of chronic indecision and self-flattery.
The supporting cast are largely solid, although James Galdofinis turn as an anti-war general doesnt seem to gel well at times due to an underwritten part; and towards the end, Steve Coogan steals the show as a constituent. In the Loop, however, isnt just decent political satire: it is witty, sharp and absorbing, picking the right targets and the right fights.
Mule went to the cinema at The Cornerhouse in Manchester. For more film listings and information on other events and exhibitions, go to www.cornerhouse.org or call 0161 228 7671.
14/05/09
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