In The Loop (15)

Directed by: Armando Iannucci
Released 17/04/2009

The film is a spin off from award winning T.V. series ‘The Thick of It’, which was an intelligent satire based on British politics. Both the series and the film are written and directed by Armando Iannucci.

Political films are not usually all that interesting or enticing. When America has taken a stab at portraying the Iraq war and the decisions behind it, on screen it has tended to play it straight down the line - films like ‘Syriana’, ‘Lions for Lambs’ and ‘In the Valley of Elah’ are examples of this approach. We Brits tend not to conform to the solemn and miserable attitude; instead we insert insults and humour via said insults.

Simon Forester (Tom Hollander) plays The Minister of International Defence - the surprising thing is that he has a finding himself as a player in a game that he does not understand the rules of and discovering that he is in way above his head. He’s assisted by a not so able team who manage to make him late to meetings and “meat in the room” during important meetings. His bungling assistant Oliver (Chris Addison) adds chaos to every situation but with vast comical effect, whilst attempting to manage his own life, as well as Simon's, with disastrous consequences.

Director, Armando Iannucci, said that the reason he made the film was ‘due to what went on in the build up to the invasion in Iraq and all the petty power politics that went on in Washington’. This is exactly what the film portrays, constantly switching from Capital Hill and British Parliament informing the audience of the decisions made in each with a few eccentric Scots thrown in for good measure. Peter Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker deserves a mention in this category, being one of the only characters who came from the T.V. series and being stark raving mad and full of rather colourful language throughout the film. James Gandolfini, of Sopranos fame plays General Miller who sits on the fence and plays an entertaining game of cat and mouse throughout, with surprising results. The other two characters worth mentioning are key players on the American side of things, Assistant Secretary of Diplomacy (Mimi Kennedy) and her nemesis, Linton (David Rasche) who, like their assistants, are locked in battle and constantly trying to outdo one another.

The film is dialogue-driven rather than plot and the enjoyment comes from the characters and their interactions and relationships with each other. Satire, spin and sex provide an expected combination for politics. There is a lot of unnecessary content in the film and scenes that act as fillers but it manages to hold its head above water, unlike Simon. The cameo from Steve Coogan is well worth looking out for too.


Amy V Gathercole