Robert Downey Jr. in Oscar nominated role. Ha! Unbelievable

Rating: 8/10 (27 January 2009)

Four actors are in the middle of shooting a Vietnam war movie when they get a dose of realism they hadn't bargained for. The great cast line up includes Ben Stiller (also directs) as an almost past it action star, Robert Downey Jr. as the multiple Oscar winner (scarily he's been nominated for a real-life one for this role) that's changed the pigmentation of his skin to play a black soldier (yes really) and Jack Black as wellÂ… Jack Black.
To get a feel for the fear of Vietnam they film guerrilla style in the jungle but are attacked by very real drug runners who think they're DEA soldiers after their product. The actors believe it's all part of the filming process and just go with it, not realising that their lives are at risk and they're not fighting stuntman dressed as Vietcong.
The film is a healthy mix of action and comedy with some great Dodgeball-style one-liners and some quality supporting roles from Matthew McConaughey, Steve Coogan and Nick Nolte. The show stealer though is undoubtedly the almost unrecognisable Tom Cruise as an utterly demented, despicably brilliant psycho film producer.
It's all a bit daft but makes a nice change from the glut of hideous spoof movies of recent times.