Tropic Thunder

Rating: 7/10 (15 October 2008)

When I saw bits and pieces of this film from trailers and reviews I expected it to be a spoof of the serious Vietnam film, e.g. Platoon, Apocalypse Now, but it is more spoofing the making of one, but still a pretty funny film, from star/writer/director Ben Stiller. The film starts with trailers and commercial so you get an idea of what the lead characters do, and then it goes to the actual film, where actors Tugg Speedman (Stiller), Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) and Kirk Lazarus (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Robert Downey Jr. - most of the time in black make-up) are shooting "Tropic Thunder" with British director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan). When the actors don't seem to be showing realistic emotion, John "Four Leaf" Tayback (Nick Nolte), writer of the book the film is supposedly based on, suggests to Cockburn that they enter the guerrilla territory filming the real reactions of the actors, and Speedman is the only one who is convinced the film is being made in "guerrilla-style". The actors are now trekking through the jungle, Lazarus staying in character, Portnoy trying to take his drugs, and Speedman going off on his own, only to be captured by the guerrillas, and being forced to play the character "Simple Jack", his flop film, and being held for ransom. Also starring Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky, Danny R. McBride as Cody, Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino, Bill Hader as Studio Executive Rob Slolom, Matthew McConaughey as Rick Peck and Golden Globe nominated Tom Cruise (who I only recognised without the glasses) as Les Grossman, Jon Voight, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jason Bateman, Alicia Silverstone, Mickey Rooney as Old Man Carruthers and Tobey Maguire. The violence is a very good joke, the performances all add to the humour, the in-jokes about film-making and actors performances (including how certain actors have played retards) are good trivia and funny, and the action sequences ass excitement, a good war comedy. Very good!