Four Lions (Morris, 2010)

[ayaa1977]

IMDb Link

Synopsis: Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point. As the wheels fly off, and their competing ideologies clash, what emerges is an emotionally engaging (and entirely plausible) farce. In a storm of razor-sharp verbal jousting and large-scale set pieces, Four Lions is a comic tour de force; it shows that-while terrorism is about ideology-it can also be about idiots

This film is the funniest film I have seen all year, and may be you'd think that doesn't say much considering 2010 was a shitty year for Comedy, but believe me when I say that the closest thing that I have saw and I can compare it to was last year's In The Loop. It has a similar tone, and it share a similar comic timing and sensibility, it also relies heavily just like The film on verbal rapid fire dialogue and insults. The characters are bunch of buffoons, and that what makes them so dangerous. I would say their stupidity is unmatched, only the film doesn't spare anyone, the Brits, the government, the police, and everyone else is a stupid in one way or other.

The film follow the journey of mainly four character; Omar (Riz Ahmed) the leader, a family man who is somehow the smart one.  He is the one who want to be martyr but in the same time want to pick a worthy fight or target. There is also Waj (Kayvan Novak) who is the follower, dumber than a bag of hammer. Barry (Nigel Lindsay) the fiery British convert, who think of himself as the leader and the inspiration, and his big scheme is blowing up the mosque and frame the West for that in order to turn the Muslim world against the west, and finally there Hassan (Arsher Ali) the new recruit who is been mentored by Barry. We see those guys in their quest to be Jihadis, which starts by them getting the call to go to Pakistan and join the camp, but only to leave the ragging Barry behind because he would their association with a know extremist will raise suspicion. When Omar and Waj goes to the Arabs training camp, they prove they are not fit to tie their own shows let alone run a terrorist cell. That segment of them screwing up in Pakistan is pure gold. The film follow them after their return and their preparations for the next homeland operations, and it's scary how the film can make such a serious matter so hilarious.
 Although it's justified plot-wise , but the drama of the climax at end took away from the general tune of the film, but not to the point that it ruined the film, and even that was laced by some humorous spots.

In general, it really is an amazing film, one that gave us the chance to laugh at the misguided among us, without being insulting or offensive to our religion or cultures. It also show those people as humans, and that might be its biggest achievement.

My Rating 4/5

[animatedude]

if you are white and have never seen any crazy paki terrorists in your life then Four Lions sounds "thought provoking", "smart" and "intelligent"....etc

just like what Kermode from BBC said, it's not a comedy..it's just sad.this is just another average TV effort which is getting all the attention because of political reasons not because it's good.

honestly,i'm not racist by any means but the United Kingdom needs to fix its system when it comes to poor expats.i sympathize with expats,i sympathize with poor people but not with assholes who bitch and moan and ask for more rights when in their home town they wouldn't afford to eat.

GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM...BITCH.

[X.]

Relax?

[fizz]

I thought the trailers were pretty funny and I intend to see this one soon. Thanks for reviewing it ayaa!

And Animated, how many "crazy Paki terrorists" have you seen? Your rant is pure gold in how you've managed to convey the helplessness of people in your situation i.e. those who feel burdened by the threat of outsiders. Like ak says, relax, its a free world and no one is out to get you.

[ozzylogic]

Must be that time of the month again.

[animatedude]

the only good thing i will remember about this film are the special features...which again are just depressing.

[madali]

Four Lions (Christopher Morris, 2010)

"Invisible? Right. Like the time you got on the local news for baking a Twin Towers cake and leaving it at the synagogue on 9/11?"

Doing a comedy about terrorists is probably not as easy as it seems. Well, not as easy for westerns, I bet I can make a great one, with no sense of uneasiness. But maybe it’s a bit more difficult for Britain. However, "Four Lions" is a great attempt.

The film follows five (initially four) terrorist-wannabes as they try to wreck havoc on Britain. Two of them even try to attempt training camps in Pakistan, but when they mess up, they have to get back, and as a group, try to come up a way to make themselves known.

The terrorists are not shown as mean or cruel. Two of them are just daft, one is a bit of a bully, another is naïve, and the main character, is smarter, and is the most level-headed of the lot. This guy, Omar, is a typical movie character. Nice person, brave, smarter than his friends, has a supporting wife, and a lovable child, who back him in his mission in life. But usually, the guy is a sports player, or a musician, who is facing difficulties with his life goal, not a terrorist. The brilliance of the film is that it gives you a familiar character but with a different premise.

Somehow, the characters are so familiar, that strangely, I kind of was supporting them, I wanted them to succeed. It's like a movie on figure skating, I don't care about figure skating,  but if the characters are likable and their struggle uphill, I want them to succeed. It’s the same here.

"I'm the Mujahideen and I'm making a scene / Now you's gonna feel what the boom-boom means / It's like Tupac said, "When I die, I'm not dead"/ We are the martyrs, you're just smashed tomatoes / Allahu Akbar!"

4/5

[fizz]

The magic of this film is that it gets to the core of the issue i.e. that terrorists are daft idiots who are brainwashed into doing what they are doing. Nothing wrong with having a little fun with the premise.