Furious fun

Rating: Null/10 (28 September 2008)

This is a film about the making of a film about the shooting of a film and stars a dude playing the dude disguised as another dude. Confused? Well, "Tropic Thunder" is that kind of movie. From the very beginning - no credits, just mock advertisements and fake trailers - we're in for a rumble in the jungle with much madness, mayhem and even a touch of genius with visual and verbal gags coming so often and so fast that nobody will get them all on first viewing (especially some of Robert Downey Jr's heavily accented lines) but most will catch enough to have a lot of fun.
Most of the credit goes to comedian Ben Stiller who co-wrote, co-produced and directed this work as well as taking a leading role. The whole thing is a parody of action movies in general and Vietnam movies in particular with "Apocalypse Now", "Platoon" and "Rambo" being just three of dozens and dozens of films that are referenced. The focus is on a team of five thespians - Tugg Speedman (Stiller), Kirk Lazarus (Downey Jr), Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) plus two minor actors - who start off making a war movie with grand ambitions and pathetic outcomes, only to realise (slowly) that they really are in a conflict situation and nothing is what or who it seems.