In the Loop Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 154 out of 179 people found the following review useful: Get In the Loop from Salt Lake City, UT USA 23 January 2009 Is it a work of fictional farce or an insightful view of the members of the governmental bureaucracy? Probably in truth, In The Loop is a little bit of both, but more so its a whole lot of fun at the governments expense. There have been numerous films over the years giving us insight into how our government works, at times it sure looks bleak and unjust, but we sure haven't seen it in such a ridiculous view. In The Loop aims at making sure they scrutinize the bureaucratic desk jocks for all their worth. The film follows the Minister of International Development (Tom Hollander) after he has put his foot in his mouth, unintentionally announcing that war is unforeseeable. Back tracking and word-smith manipulations prove mute, fortunately for the Minister he's got big fans in the US who would like nothing more then to use the naive Brit in their political posturing. The hawks begin circling and before the Minister knows what game he's playing he's into deep and merely a puppet in the political theater.

There is a hint of a serious political thriller in the plot here, but In The Loop knows we've seen all that before so why not have a little fun, actually why not have a whole lot of fun and throw in lots of scalding four letter words and absolute British wit. Tom Hollander as the Minister of I.D. is dumb-foundingly perfect in his role and is well complemented by his bungling assistant Oliver (played exceptionally by Chris Addison). As the Director of Communications, Peter Capaldi steals the show with his relentlessly scathing superhuman vulgarity ridden wit. Those with a distaste for such colorful language should look elsewhere as their ears will certainly be on fire if they can last through a third of the film. Personally the language was not a problem for me, I appreciate a master of the finer words, and Capaldi has shown himself to deliver his lines with such craftsmanship that sailors around the world will be put to shame. The Brits are a fantastic mess, but of course what international mess would be complete without the United States Govt.. And so comes the behemoth know as James Gandolifini, the Don Capo hasn't lost any of his on-screen presence.

As the ol' war vet Pentagon General, Gandolfini is gruff and verbally abusive in a really mean spirited way, which is glorious. Those with a keen sense of cinema will notice how well the film shifts humor as the Brits come across the pond to the the dry humor of America. Gandolfini makes the most of his screen time, but on the American side the majority of the ridiculousness comes from Mimi Kennedy, as the Assistant Secretary of Diplomacy and her bickering 20 something Capital Hill brown nosing assistants. Director Armando Ianucci's delivers such a cynical sharp witted look at all things politically ridiculous and it works on so many levels. Fans of British humor will love this, its pureness to the form is perfectly meshed into the political platform that moves the comedy along with merely a few small bumps in the road. On the other side of the coin, those who enjoy making fun of those of the diplomatic persuasion will delight in the roasting of our governmental members. Was the above review useful to you? 103 out of 121 people found the following review useful: Wall-Ace and Gromit!

from Sheffield, UK 19 April 2009 One of the best political satirical comedies in years! 'In The Loop' is a spin-off (kind-of) of the fantastic British comedy 'The Thick of It', and follows Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), a Cabinet Minister who makes a series of unfortunate slip-ups, the first is when he tells an interviewer that he believes war (always referred to as the invasion or the war, but never Iraq or potentially Afghanistan) is "unforeseeable" before telling journalists under pressure that you have to conquer a mountain of conflict on the path of peace. These mistakes place him in the middle of a diplomatic mine-field as both, the anti-war constabulary led by General Miller (James Gandolfini) and the Assistant Secretary of Diplomacy Karen Clark (Mimi Kennedy), and the gung-ho supporter of war Linton Barwick (David Rasche) - so crazy he keeps a live grenade as a paperweight - want Simon as a transatlantic partner to support their cause. Should he put his conscience or his political career first?

Oh, and throw in hilariously vicious Senior British Press Office Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) and a bumbling Adviser to the minster (Toby played by Chris Addison) and you have one of the best political satires to come from Britain in years. What makes the film work so well is the incredibly sharp witty script from a collaboration of writers that keeps the gag-per-minute counter ticking. Every meeting, confrontation political mishap is cradled with joke after joke whether they are subtle references to the cynicism and underhandedness in the current (or foregone) political climate or simply one of Malcolm Tucker's fantastic rants  "I'm going to tear out your shinbone, split it in two and stab you to f**king death with it" - at ineptitude of everybody around him. Every actor and actress involved give solid performances as the flawed members of the tense political world. While Simon's central story keeps the film on the ground despite a few diplomatic detours (that are still hilarious, even though they take up little of the running of time).

Armando Iannucci has already proved to the British public that he can create entertainment for the TV-masses and 'In The Loop' proves he also has the skills to replicate this on a wider, international, big-screen scale as well. It's intelligent, it's offensive, and it's bleeding funny. See this film! Was the above review useful to you? 88 out of 107 people found the following review useful: This film may one day be for politics what Spinal Tap was for heavy metal. from UK 22 July 2009 In the Loop is an unusually good and funny film from a usually tepid and rather unfunny genre. After enduring an onslaught of mediocre films centered around the war in Iraq, 2009 seems to have finally brought audiences closer to cinematic resolution: first Kathryn Bigelow's invigorating The Hurt Locker gave us a fresh insight, and now this: a relatively lighter affair, to be sure, but one of such rapid-fire wit that a second viewing is almost required. In stereotypically British fashion, the humour is dry  you probably won't experience many belly laughs  and yet selling it merely as such seems like something of a disservice to its quality.

Best described in one line as a blend of Dr. Strangelove, This Is Spinal Tap and the Ricky Gervais Office series, director Armando Iannucci has parodied the lunacy of political disinformation and thoughtless rhetoric without his film coming across as a laborious broken record or the mouthpiece of an insufferable pacifist. No, you don't have to be a liberal to enjoy this (although I can't necessarily picture Bill O'Reilly endorsing it)  anyone with an appreciation for intelligent comedy, regardless of personal views, should find something to admire here, and it'll be a shame if the picture isn't at least nominated for Best Screenplay by year's end. The film is a spin-off of Iannucci's UK show The Thick of It, starring a couple of the same characters, and it presumably takes place during the days leading up to the invasion of Iraq (although, to be fair, we're never given the precise name of the country being targeted, nor the date for which these events take place).

The plot moves fast and some of the characters are hard to get a handle on at first, but it goes something like this: Britain's Minister of International Development, Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), has a slip of the tongue while recording a live radio interview, admitting that any instance of war is "unforeseeable" and thereby perhaps even necessary  thus enraging the Prime Minister's Director of Communications, Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi in a scathingly brilliant performance). At the behest of the PM, Tucker has Foster and his new assistant, Toby (Chris Addison), shipped off to Washington, D.C., where they suffer a game of political discourse with a pro-war State Department official (played well by David Rasche). The film also features talented actors in minor roles: James Gandolfini appears in one of the film's most unexpectedly funny scenes, as a four-star general who computes the cost of a hypothetical war using a kids' toy calculator.

("At the end of a war, you need some soldiers left, really, or else it looks like you've lost.") Steve Coogan, whose wonderful Alan Partridge was co-created by Iannucci, pops up in one of the more silly-minded sequences, as a man with a bit of a wall issue. Though the film has achieved almost unanimous praise amongst critics, there have been some complaints, namely those of the NY Press' Armond White. Usually I don't address the comments of other reviewers, mainly because I typically don't care, but also because everyone is entitled to their own opinion; yet I felt compelled to respond to White's assertion that "Iannucci's sense of place is indistinguishable from The Office or The West Wing." The Office, sure, but The West Wing? Really? Did we watch the same film, Mr. White? That show's relative glamorization of closed door politics could not be at more complete odds with In the Loop, both in style and substance. What's particularly interesting is that UK magazine Time Out did an article on the film last year, and even cited the movie's production design as being the polar opposite of The West Wing's.

Journalist Dave Calhoun wrote: "Iannucci tells me that he sees In the Loop as a cousin of The Thick of It. The similarities are everywhere, down to the docu-style, hand-held camera-work evident on the monitors (it's the same director of photography) and the anti-'West Wing' production design that throws all notions of political glamour out the window." I mention this only because it is worth pointing out the movie's heavy cynicism. Screen International's David D'Arcy noted the film's untimely release: "Its exuberant, boundless cynicism will test the demand for political satire in an Obama-infatuated America." I respectfully disagree  audiences have never shown an inclination towards noting their countries' present failures, which would perhaps best explain why almost every single motion picture focused on the Iraq War since 2003 has been a box office flop. Audiences flock to cinemas for escapism  not reminders. If time heals all wounds, then perhaps this is the opportune time to release In the Loop: at a point when we can begin to take a step back and accept the humour. Regardless: this is a very sharp, decisive comedy, and certainly worth seeking out.

The "instant classic" label is vastly overused, but it is perhaps not unforeseeable that this film may one day be for politics what Spinal Tap was for heavy metal. In other words: an instant classic. Was the above review useful to you? 90 out of 112 people found the following review useful: We May Have Found Summer's Sleep with 'In The Loop', America from United States 14 July 2009 Political comedy is a hard stunt to pull off. Ever since 1964, it seemed like nothing could top Dr. Strangelove. A lot of movies have tried and a lot have failed, although there were the lucky few that passed the bar (Election, Thank You for Smoking) but the brilliant thing about In The Loop is that it's so stupidly funny that it's one of the best comedies of the 21st Century! Armando Iannucci, most known for his The Thick of It series in the UK, directs a movie with the a the familiar theme of The Office. That documentary-style of film-making can be hit-or-miss (most recently, Public Enemies, a miss) and Iannucci hits it right on.

Every scene he graces with a camera comes out picture perfect; nobody could've pegged this movie any better. Iannucci, Jesse Armstrong, Tony Roche and Simon Blackwell's script is something out of picture show heaven and sounds like it must've taken forever to finish, edit, revise, etc. Although these guys, these geniuses, apparently know what they're doing and don't care what anybody else says. That is the heart and soul of movie-making, readers. In The Loop is about a corrupt British government that accidentally gets the country thrown into the middle of a war. Loop stars Peter Capaldi, Gina McKee, James Gandolfini, Chris Addison and there's even a whimsical cameo by Steve Coogan. Capaldi is the absolute best at what he did, spewing swears as coarse as they are a riot ("fuck you, you lubricated horse cock!") and freaking out. I can't even put into words just how funny this guy was; he made the movie! But don't forget Addison as Toby. Addison is the British Napoleon Dynamite, that incredibly awkward guy that makes even the audience members turn red.

James Gandolfini and Gina McKee round out the rest of the cast greatly, filling In The Loop with the type of sexual tension that you don't want to think about. It's like when a sex scene pops up on a DVD you're watching with your parents. Yeah, that bad.In The Loop is one of the most laugh out loud comedies I've seen in the past decade, that sadly nobody will get a chance to watch. In a world of Transformers and G.I Joe, In The Loop will sadly be ignored. But on an optimistic note, we may have found this summer's sleeper, America. 5/5 stars. from buffalo, ny, usa 11 August 2009 There is something about British comedy that resonates with me. I don't know if it is because we in the States experience so little of it, or maybe because Hollywood rapes and pillages the material for their own water-downed versions, but the humor just seems fresh, uncensored, and hilarious. When I first came across the new political black comedy In the Loop, I will admit to being less than interested.

The marketing materials were using the whole Obama silkscreen poster look and I really wasn't interested in a movie about how the US and Britain decided to go into the Middle East. But then the buzz started. The realization that the film was shot with a penchant for improv, a desire to entertain rather than teach, and a cast of characters looking as though they are in a Christopher Guest movie, soon turned that preconception around. This is a fantastic film that never lets up on the laughs or one-liners. I just hope people go into it knowing that this isn't how it actually happened but then who knows? Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. The back and forth dialogue is so quick that I couldn't believe my eyes when I read a quote from the director about it all being about 80-85% scripted. He says that he gave the actors leeway to break course and even do takes without scripts at all, but when culling everything together, most of what stuck actually maintained the verbiage laid out by its five screenwriters. Each of these men, including director Armando Iannucci, has been working with British television and all have collaborated on the show "The Thick of It".

I will say now, if I get a chance to check it out, I most certainly will. Political satire is not necessarily my favorite thing in the worldI'll watch the odd "Daily Show" episodebut after viewing this laugh-riot, checking out a spoof on the British political system, of which I know very little, could be a ton of fun. Heck, just the inclusion of Peter Capaldi will get me to stop surfing when I reach the BBC. This guy steals the show without question. Capaldi plays Malcolm Turner, a Brit on the frontline of politics as an aide to the Prime Minister, spinning everything and anything to save face. With no time to spare on his running across the Atlantic to put out fires wherever his compatriots start them, you will have to forgive his abrasive, sarcastic, and just plain mean demeanor.

The idea of war is being bandied about on talk shows, behind closed-door governmental meetings, and all over the media machine, and it is up to him to keep a lid on it by walking the party line, neither stating a fight is inevitable or unforeseeabletwo terms that the buffoon who is British Secretary of State for International Development Simon Foster, played beautifully by the ever capable Tom Hollander, loves to utter. Foster just has to open his mouth to cause a stir felt around the world, and each time, of course, Malcolm Turner is there to chastise and humiliate his stupidity. The film ultimately revolves around the journey Hollander's Foster takes in trying to enhance exposure for himself. Partaking in talk shows or talking out of turn when enlisted to just be "room meat", some of the Americans begin to see him as someone abroad that shares their sentiment that war is a bad idea. While David Rasche's Linton Barwicka hardcore proponent of battle, even using a live grenade as a paperweightforms secret committees to discuss strategies for war, Mimi Kennedy's Karen Clarke and James Gandolfini's Lt. General George Miller are looking for ways to get into that meeting and shut it down.

As a result, those two dissenters try to get Foster at every event to awkwardly express his stance of war being unforeseeable, hoping to deter any people on the fence that may be in attendance. So, Malcolm must run back and forth through England and DC spinning things his way and lambasting anyone that gets in his line of fire. Either Foster is too oblivious to care about the verbal assaults thrown his way or he just feels he can blame his Director of Communications Judy, who he makes stay at home while he globe-trots with his new young adviser Toby, (Gina McKee and Chris Addison respectively). Toby and Foster are so similar in their awe of America and lack of experience that their adventures make for good cinema, taking camera phone pics out their limo and speaking about getting hookers for the ride. In the Loop is expertly acted and, for the most part, I have to credit that to the intelligent script being utilized. Whether the actors are improvising or not, the original text they are sticking to or springboarding from needed to be strong.

By using all the jokes and imbecilic actions we associate with politicians, the writers have crafted a plausible, if not entirely idiotic, account of the days leading up to our countries' joint invasion. Documents are leaked, words are twisted, and supposed partners are stabbed in the back. But through it all we have Capaldi doing his best to keep Britain's stance as noncommittal as possible. And, truthfully, the way in which he does it makes for what has to be the funniest role of the year. Every word out of his mouth is acerbic and full of double meaning. With the f-word spewing at will and demeaning name-callings going left and right, make sure your head is clear if British speech sometimes troubles you in the comprehension realm. Understanding his words definitely pays off, keeping what would otherwise be a slightly bloated and meandering plot grounded in comedic excellence. Was the above review useful to you? 46 out of 58 people found the following review useful: One of the funnier movies this year from United States 13 July 2009 The Big Questions: Can an adult comedy (i.e one without masturbation, anal sex, and talking genitals) attract people during the summer season?

Can director Armando Iannucci, known for BBC series "The Thick of It", adapt the series to the screen in "In the Loop"? Does this war-room satire bring anything new to war-room satires? Tom Hollander (the last two Pirates of the Caribbean movies) plays British Secretary of State Simon Foster, who in a radio interview says that war with the Middle East is "unforeseeable." The statement is enough to send the Prime Minister's chief adviser Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) into hysterics. The US President and UK Prime Minister are keen on a war and Tucker wants to give it to them. In Washington, Deputy Secretary of State Karen Clarke (Mimi Kennedy) has learned of a secret War Committee formed by Linton Barwick (David Rasche) and she dispatches her secretary, Liza (Anna Chlumsky, yup, from 1991's "My Girl"), to find out everything she can about it. Clarke and General Miller (James Gandolfini) are against the war and are willing to do anything in their power to stop it, even inviting Simon and his assistant Toby (Chris Addison) to Washington thinking that Simon might be usable.

Just Simon is a clueless pawn without the slightest idea what he's doing. Other story strands center around an anti-war paper written by Liza, and an affair she has with Toby. The foolishness of government war-mongering is sent-up well by this profane and viciously over the top comedy. If you've read the several books about the events leading up to the Iraq War, the constant and disconcerting string of manipulation, deception, back-door tactics, and posturing for political career gain, as well as how they all think of it as a game without consequences, incorporated by these underlings won't shock you too much, but the laughs just might. Shot with a hand-held camera that brings to mind "The Office", these people run around like chickens with their heads chopped off (some of which is very hard to even keep track of) trying to win out over the other side. The fast pacing, profanely clever dialogue, and flying insults are relentless. There are references to CNN being the Cartoon News Network, kids just out of college making big White House decisions, a sexual encounter for world peace, and a funny attack on a fax machine.

In addition to turning profanity into a bodily function, characters (usually) shout pop culture references (John and Yoko, Kid from Eraserhead), and various other more derogatory names at each other. It's a tad excessive at times, but funny. Peter Capaldi is the key stand-out in the cast, being the most over-the-top of them all. His obscene and excessively profane performance as the Prime Minister's lead guy is tremendously entertaining as he continues to verbally lay-out anyone he doesn't like or that gets in his way with ridiculously clever barbs. Hollander does well with the role of the cluelessly spineless Simon Foster. James Gandolfini and Mimi Kennedy each give strong performances, and Chris Addison, Anna Chlumsky (its good to see her back by the way), and the rest of the cast do nice work as well. Also look for Steve Coogan in a funny cameo as a "fogged off" Brit complaining about a wall. The Verdict: While excessive and hard to follow at times, Iannucci, and his three other writers, create an adult satire that, while may not be for everybody, is pretty funny. Was the above review useful to you?

57 out of 87 people found the following review useful: Complex, biting, rich with British and American humor from United States 21 June 2009 Fast paced blend of close-to-truth political intrigue, satire, clever banter and intensity, with enough simplified and goofy humor to keep American audiences shrieking with laughter. The LA festival audience was blessedly quiet through the more subtle and deeply clever humor, so if you have a pan-Atlantic sensibility you can laugh at the cleverly done but obvious stuff, as well as the richer humor that requires attention. The cast - American, English and Scottish all did an amazing job with high synergy. There is quite a lot of both obvious and subtle political and cultural allegory, homages, and oblique references. It was great to see it in a packed theater, and get that immersive social experience one does not get with a DVD. Was the above review useful to you? 39 out of 52 people found the following review useful: Unforseeable from Dallas, Texas 2 August 2009 Greetings again from the darkness.

A spin-off of the British series The Thick of it, this film comes across as an odd mixture of Dr Strangelove, Spinal Tap, The Office ... think Christopher Guest remakes The West Wing. There are some incredibly funny lines and therein lies the films only problem. What prevents the film from being truly great is that the comedy lines are so well written (and acted) that the story itself is shoved aside. Kind of a shame because I love the basis for the story. Combining the politics of both the U.S. and England and weaving their process and decision making into one film ... and then backdropping the decision on whether to go to war, is ingenious and fascinating. But as I said, the story takes a real backseat and many viewers will pay scant attention to the entire war theme. Watching politicians negotiate for power and struggle with quotable (yet meaningless) phrases is a hoot. And the posturing is not limited to the power brokers, as we see their assistants are playing the same game ... just with less at stake. Ultimately the film works as an aggressive, loud, foul mouthed quote fest and not so much as the political editorial it could/should have been.

Peter Capaldi dominates the film as the spin doctor who uses intimidation to mask his schemes. Tom Hollander would have been the soul of the film, if it were better developed as a story. All will recognize him from Pirates of Caribbean. James Gandolfini, Mimi Kennedy, David Rasche and James Gandolfini provide the U.S. contingency that are deflatingly realistic and make us so "proud". Don't miss a funny turn by the great Steve Coogan as the poor citizen who just wants his mum's retaining wall repaired so it doesn't crush her in the greenhouse. While certainly not woven seamlessly into the film, it does provide a shot of realism for what Hollander's character would face. Lastly, it is very nice to see Anna Chlumsky back on screen. An immediate child star in My Girl ... remember her kiss with Maculey Culkin? Ms. Chlumsky is now a mature presence and should definitely be a consistent actress for years to come. Was the above review useful to you?

40 out of 55 people found the following review useful: F**ing subsidised foreign vowels from Saffron Walden, UK 15 January 2010 Armando Iannucci's brilliant political satire, 'The Thick Of It', takes obvious cues from real events (and personalities) in British politics; and cooks these ingredients into a splendidly toxic broth personified by the character of Maclolm Tucker, spin doctor extraordinaire, the man with the most inventive foulmouth on the planet. The other protagonists are slimy, incompetent, self-serving; but part of Iannucci's genius is that even as you hate them, you almost end up feeling sorry for them as well, doomed to play their part in the political machine. It's a brilliant programme; what's even more unusual is the success of its adaptation to the big screen. To make 'In the Loop', Iannucci has directly addressed one of the biggest recent political stories, the second Gulf War, which also allows him to introduce a range of American archetypes into his drama; as with his British characters, the mixture of exaggeration, subtlety and sheer venality in their portrayals is wonderfully judged.

And although wholly fictional, as an account of how certain intelligence dossiers came to be faked, it's also wholly compelling and believable. Less surprisingly, many of the regular cast from the TV series also feature in the film, although (Peter Capaldi as Tucker aside) in slightly different roles. But there's no denying the basic quality of the humour here; the title of this review, incidentally, is one character's description of opera. A film which makes you laugh or think as much is rare; one which does both is something special indeed. Was the above review useful to you? 37 out of 59 people found the following review useful: It's a long time since I've seen a money this funny... from United Kingdom 28 April 2009 This is not a movie for those looking for the cosy delusional homilies and self congratulatory tributes to politicians of something like Yes Minister, it's vulgar, raw, enticing. An excellent comedy that never lets a moment pass without something to amuse, whilst being painfully poignant at the same time. In the build up to war, the UK government conspires to provide made up intelligence to the US to justify an act of war... sound familiar?

Really, really, really funny and those who claim Yes Minister and it's ilk are superior, or more representative of what goes on in the 'corridors of power', aren't living in the real world. Critics who compare this to 'The Thick of It': remember, if this movie includes the same characters it's obviously set before the events of 'in the loop', hence we might expect them to be more energetic, rawer and ... well swear a lot. I'm not sure the pacing of TToI would have worked in movie form and it's nice to see that the writers were able to translate the basic idea to a successful movie, unlike so many TV adaptations which have fallen flat on their faces. Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 15: In the Loop Rankings & Opinions 17 lists In the Loop In the Loop is a 2009 British satirical black comedy directed by Armando Iannucci as a spin-off from the BBC Television series The Thick of It. The film satirizes Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq. It was nominated for the 2009 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

In the film, both the UK and the US are on the verge of possibly launching a war in the Middle East. The plot follows government officials and advisors in their out... Film - In The Loop - Into Film In The Loop In The Loop © BBC FILMS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Year Home | Films | Explore Films | In The Loop (2009) The brilliant satirical TV series The Thick of It was renowned for its volcanic, near acrobatic use of swear words and its terrifyingly authentic portrayal of modern politics in all its weaselly, self-interested glory. Oh, and it was hilarious. This big-screen spin-off juggles characters slightly (all the better for newcomers) but the swearing and hilarity are intact - and it never lets you forget these are real lives they're dealing with when a wishy-washy junior minister gets out of his depth in Washington in the run-up to war. Clubs provide opportunities to watch, review and make films. Start a film club today Director/s In the Loop (Film) - TV Tropes In the Loop You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share This is the trouble with civilians wanting to go to war.

Once you've been there, you never want to go again unless you absolutely have to. It's like France. —General Miller 2009 film spin-off of Armando Iannucci 's political sitcom The Thick of It . The film is set in a slightly different universe from the series, this time with the action unfolding across the United Kingdom and United States. It features most of the original cast, with most of them playing new (but strangely familiar) roles. Tom Hollander joins the cast as Simon Foster, the hapless Minister for International Development. Peter Capaldi returns as Malcolm Tucker, the Prime Minister's Director of Communications, who is called upon to stop Foster from giving any statements to the press... or to the Americans... or talking in general . Foster is also joined by his senior aide, Judy Molloy (Gina McKee), and millstone —er, junior aide Toby Wright (Chris Addison). When Foster makes two contradictory statements regarding a possible war in an unspecified Middle Eastern country, he finds himself summoned to a fact-finding mission in Washington, where he is used to push arguments both for and against the war.

The Brits comes face-to-face with their US counterparts, including the hawkish Linton Barwick (David Rasche) and the dovish General Miller (James Gandolfini). As the movie is a spin-off set in almost the same universe as the series, the two share many tropes. Tropes that originated in the TV series may be better placed on the page for The Thick of It . This movie provides examples of: Adaptational Villainy : Toby is noticeably more self-righteous, smug and cowardly than Olly Reeder. He also treats his girlfriend like crap, something which cannot be said for Olly. Malcolm seemingly has absolutely no moral principles beyond his own job. Notably, unlike his TV counterpart, he never shows any empathy or sympathy for anyone. (What appears to be momentary lapses in this usually turnout to be manipulation.) Anachronism Stew : There is no clear indication of the year on which the film takes place; the film circles around a possible western intervention in an unspecified country.

As it parallels the real intervention in Iraq, it would put it in 2003; yet by a reference by Malcolm about YouTube (which was launched in 2005) and the noticeably widespread use of text messaging puts it in a considerably later date, which could be surmised as late 2000's, the time when the film itself was released. A deleted scene makes reference to "There Will Be Blood", which came out in 2007, with the implication that the film came out semi-recently. Angrish : Malcolm's gift for baroque swearing briefly deserts him in the Meditation Room. Alternative Continuity : To The Thick of It . The film stars several of the same actors, but while some of them are playing the same characters that they play in the series (albeit with slightly different characteristics in some cases), others are playing entirely new ones. Antiquated Linguistics : This is how Malcolm sees the use of the word "purview" by Simon's aide, Judy Malloy: "Within your purview? Where do you think you are, in some fucking regency costume drama? This is a government department, not a fucking Jane fucking Austen novel!

Allow me to pop a jaunty little bonnet on your purview and ram it up the shitter with a lubricated horse cock!" Armchair Military : General Miller currently, though he admits to having killed people 15 years ago so it presumably didn't always apply. Malcolm Tucker: " Falling asleep on someone doesn't count. " Arguably he deconstructs this later on: Miller: "What, you think they should make you drag in a bullet-ridden corpse to the Pentagon every five years to renew your soldier's licence?" Armies Are Evil : Surprisingly averted. Of the Secretary of State (Arch-Diplomat) and the Four Star General (Arch-Soldier), the general is the one urging restraint. Ax-Crazy : Jamie. In one famous scene he's even fax crazy . The Bad Guy Wins : It's pretty inevitable that the pro-war side is going to win eventually, because the film is based on the build-up to a war which actually happened in real life.

As it turns out, though, the only characters who get what they want in the end are Linton (the Ax-Crazy warmonger), Jamie (the only person in the film more psychologically disturbed than Linton) and the even-more-aggressively-amoral-than-usual Malcolm Tucker. Bad News in a Good Way : After Michael admits to leaking PWIP-PIP, Jamie later barges into his office to cheerfully inform him that he isn't fired, asking if that isn't a good thing. Michael notes that it sounds ominous. He's right too. Bastard Understudy : Jamie. "My theory is Malcolm built him in a lab, from bits of old psychopaths." Big Damn Movie : Played with. Malcolm and co. are up to their usual shenanigans (handling incompetent ministers and cleaning up PR disasters), but on a much larger stage than the show. Black Comedy : Some of the political antics are funny until one remembers that the "unforeseeable" war in question will lead to a long and pointless standoff in the Middle East. Toby and Simon convincing each other that ''knowingly publicly supporting something you're absolutely against'' is the "braver option" also reeks of this.

Brains and Brawn : Malcolm plays Xanatos Speed Chess at the UN as Jamie smashes up fax machines in London. Briar Patching : "Please, this garden wall story... please, don't run with that because my reputation will be in tatters..." ...and Simon Foster is gone. A subtle one. Judy guesses Toby's name as being Daniel or a variation, because new people apparently often have that name. Come the end of the film, Toby's replacement turns out to be called "Danny Dan". Taken literally with the subplot involving a collapsing garden wall. Britain Versus the UK : Not so much subverted as set straight by the Scottish Malcolm: "Don't ever call me fucking English again". The Catch Phrase Catches On : In-universe. Simon's attempt to undo the damage from his first (anti-war) gaffe becomes a rallying cry for the pro-war forces: "To walk the path of peace, you must be prepared to climb the mountain of conflict." Linton uses it to try and draw out Simon during the well-attended Future Planning Committee meeting; later we see Linton also has it printed and hung up on his wall.

Chewing the Scenery : While he's certainly no Large Ham , Peter Capaldi acts so hard his temple veins start throbbing: "You know what you look like? A squeezed dick. You've got that little blue vein running up the side of your head..." General Miller Cloud Cuckoo Lander : Linton Barwick is an extremely unsettling version. His casual disregard for reality (changing minutes and wholesale rewriting of intelligence reports) mirrors Malcolm's attitude toward spin and damage control, but without any of the irony. As Karen Clarke puts it, the voices in his head are "singing barbershop together". And apart from his Ice Cream Koans , there are his odd almost-but-not-quite non sequiturs . Linton: "Glass offices, in my opinion, are for perverts." Bob: "I could request the glass be frosted." Linton: "Frosting is on cakes." Cluster F-Bomb : "Hey buddy, enough of the curse words , alright?" No, it's not alright: practically every line uttered by Malcolm or Jamie is a Cluster F-Bomb .

Malcolm's response to the gentleman who confronts him about this is no exception: "Kiss my sweaty balls, you fat fuck!" Comedic Sociopathy : With his big baldy head, Sir Jonathan Tutt is a magnet for it. Compensating for Something : Toby makes some sniggering comments of this nature about the Washington Monument. Malcolm bluntly shuts him up by caustically remarking that the only way Toby is ever likely to get anything remotely similar to commemorate his life is if he buys "a fucking Toblerone". Compliment Backfire : "What am I? Tit meat?" Control Freak : Linton, to the extent that he objects to I Heart Huckabees being listed as an appropriate DVD for the American military roster. Purely because he thinks it's self-indulgent rubbish. "It's difficult... difficult... lemon difficult." Also Toby's anti-war shag. Toby and Simon don't know in which room the meeting is being held, leading to a misunderstanding outside the ladies bathroom.

Curse Cut Short : "A certain vinegar-faced manipulative cowbag is about to discover that she is out of a fu-" "DO YOU WANT ME TO HOLEPUNCH YOUR FACE?" "If you don't get me fuckin' Brian, I'm gonna come over there, I'm gonna lock you in a fuckin' flotation tank and fill it full of sewage until ya fuckin' drown!" "I'm gonna fuckin' take your leg off, and I'll... fuckin'... the shin bone! I'm gonna take the shin bone, I'm gonna break it in two and I'm going to fucking stab you to fucking death with it..." Deadpan Snarker : Pretty much everyone (except Jamie and Malcolm, who prefer to shout instead), but particularly Karen and Gen. Miller. Gen. Miller: (discussing the amount of troops available for an invasion into Unspecifiedistan) "Twelve thousand troops. But that's not enough. That's the amount that are going to die. And at the end of a war you need some soldiers left, really. Or it looks like you've lost." Determinator : Malcolm.

He may be a sonofabitch, but he's devoted to his job to the point of near-insanity. Malcolm Tucker: "Are you sure you're working as hard as me? 'cause I'm sweating spinal fluid. I'm a fucking husk." Dirty Coward : So very many, from Toby giving PWIP PIP to his ex-girlfriend so he doesn't have to leak it himself, to Michael Rodgers following Jamie's orders so he can save his political career. The Doves all know how they can stop the war, but would rather go along with it and save their careers. "I'm on the verge of taking a stand." Notably highlighted in a scene where Toby, Simon and Judy are on their way to the UN, and Simon is hesitantly floating the notion that maybe it would be much braver to change his publicly expressed views and come down in support the war. Both Simon and Toby pointedly ignore Judy when she bluntly points out that no, it wouldn't be. Simon Foster's actions here are a thinly-veiled reference to Clare Short MP . General Miller may have physical courage, but his decision not to resign (after Karen has already done so) shows a total lack of moral backbone.

Downer Ending : Malcolm ends up doing the dirty work of a man he swore he didn't work for; After repeatedly waffling, Simon's career is all but finished when he's sacked rather than being able to resign to make a statement; Clarke's resignation loses its power when Miller refuses to do so; Liza's working for a man concerned with which movies are on a soldier's approved roster; Toby's career is over before it even begins and he leaves quietly when the new aide arrives. And everyone has to live with the inevitable war that's going to happen, and one Miller knows no one is prepared for, having pointed out to Clarke earlier that the US just doesn't have the available troops. Eagleland : There is a culture shock for the visiting British dignitaries, but overall America comes across no more or less cynically than Britain. The British generally seem to kowtow to the Americans and are unsettled by how young many of their high-ranking officials are, but Malcolm Tucker still manages to browbeat everyone around him regardless of nationality. Establishing Character Moment : "How'd your team do at the weekend?" "Alright, we won!" "Yeah? Hehehehe...

wanker." Establishing Shot : The film opens with a shot of Malcolm sweeping into Number 10 in his Badass Longcoat . It continues in this vein as the action moves between Whitehall , The White House , the UN building and Simon's constituency in Northamptonshire. It includes what Armando Iannucci refers to as "the Love Actually scene" in which Malcolm (walking past the Capitol in Washington) is seen on the phone to Judy (jogging past the Houses of Parliament in London). This trope is lampshaded by Toby and Simon when they note that their hotel suite just about has a view of the Capitol. It is also lampshaded by Toby after they all fly back to the UK: "From White House to Shite House". Expy : Several of the cast for their equivalents in The Thick of It : Toby is Olly Reeder "Where's the War Committee?" Malcolm gets lost in Washington... and again at the UN. Toby bursting in late smelling like a pissed seaside donkey. Hair-Trigger Temper : Jamie seems permanently pissed off and ready to explode into violent rage at the drop of a pin.

Jamie: "Right, that's enough of the fucking Oxbridge pleasantries..." Toby: (Puzzled) "What's 'Oxbridge' about saying 'hello'?" Jamie: "Shut it, Love Actually ! DO YOU WANT ME TO HOLEPUNCH YOUR FACE?!" Paul Michaelson also has a Hair-Trigger Temper , primed to take offence at anything anyone says. Ham-to-Ham Combat : There's a scene at the United Nations which seems to have the sole purpose of getting Gen. Miller and Malcolm in the same room. Hauled Before a Senate Subcommittee : Inverted. Everyone's dying to be part of the so-called 'Future Planning Committee', better known as the War Committee. Heroic B.S.O.D. : Although not strictly a hero, as his career rapidly takes a dive-plunge straight down the crapper Simon Foster ends up in the U.N. Mediation Room frantically eating mints, staring blankly into space and remarking that his internal thoughts seem to be an endless loop of him shouting "Oh, shit!" at himself in a distant voice "like a car alarm in the middle of the night".

Although the "heroic" part can be debated, Malcolm gets one of these moments near the end when he briefly thinks his efforts are falling apart. It lasts about 3 seconds before Xanatos Speed Chess takes over. Hypocritical Humor : At one point, Simon assures Malcolm that he didn't become a minister by screwing up every public appearance he makes; however, in pretty much every public or official appearance that we see him make he's inarticulate, incompetent and only manages to bollocks things up for himself and everyone. Paul Michaelson: "Am I calm? I'm fucking ZEN!" And of course, there's this insult by Malcolm, who swears at Linton, but then realises that he disapproves of swearing. Malcolm then does a Verbal Backspace and then still swears at him, actually cranking it Up to Eleven in the process. "You are a real boring fuck. Sorry, sorry, I know you disapprove of swearing so I'll sort that out. You are a boring F, star, star, CUNT! " I Am Spartacus : Played Straight and Discussed .

Jamie smashes up the fax machine to intimidate either Michael (who is innocent) or Suzy (who is not) into admitting that they leaked the anti-war paper. He's pretty sure that Suzy did it, but when Michael steps up and "admits" to doing it to get Jamie to stop, Jamie accuses him of falsely confessing to protect the guilty party, and refers directly to the Spartacus story. I Call Him "Mr. Happy" : "Little Toby is staying very much in his hammock this evening..." : "I went to see There Will Be Blood ... there wasn't any fucking blood!" Jamie's views on opera: "It's just vowels! Subsidised foreign vowels!" There's also a deleted scene where Malcolm trashes Atonement . Which may be a subtle Actor Allusion since Gina Mc Kee (Judy) appeared in that movie. Metaphorgotten : Simon's attempt to retract his statement that "war is unforeseeable" by comparing the situation to a plane flying towards a mountain. He wiggles out of the awkward interview after saying that the government may have to "climb the mountain of conflict." Malcolm isn't very impressed. Malcolm Tucker: Do you know what you sounded like?

You sounded like a fucking Nazi Julie Andrews ! Mistaken Nationality : Malcolm takes offence at being called English. Newspeak : It's not the 'War' Committee; it's the 'Future Planning Committee'. The Nicknamer : Toby's name is not Foetus Boy, Ron Weasley , Twatboy Slim or The Baby From Eraserhead , but Malcolm doesn't seem to care. He extends this selective amnesia to practically everyone he encounters, including Baldemort, General Flintstone and J Edgar fuckin' Hoover. "Rob, Innes, Little Bo Cock Jockey and The Leaky fuckin' Minge Box, go back to your desks and prepare briefing." Toby also receives a "Go fuck yourself, Frodo" from General Miller. No Celebrities Were Harmed : Malcolm Tucker is pretty widely seen as being a caricature of Alistair Campbell, Tony Blair 's former press director. And it's pretty easy to see Linton Barwick as a Doug Feith or Paul Wolfowitz. Also, the whole film is a pretty thinly-veiled portrayal of the build-up to the war with Iraq.

No Party Given : As with the British government in the TV show, we never directly learn the political party of the governing U.S Administration. But, given the nature of the events depicted, we can take a pretty good guess. Nobody Poops : The writers really like subverting this trope. Oh Crap! : Happens whenever a particularly bad piece of news is received (i.e. very frequently). Older Than They Look : The actors playing the young White House staffers ("Your master race of highly-gifted toddlers") are all Older Than They Look. As is Chris Addison. Only Friend : Jamie to Malcolm. Only Sane Man : Judy appears to be one of the only people in the movie with her head screwed on fully. Needless to say, everyone pretty much ignores or abuses her and Simon spends most of the movie actively plotting against her. She ends up having the last laugh over him as the whole thing ends up completely destroying his career while she emerges unscathed. Gen. Miller comes off as a rational career soldier who is not proud of what he's had to do in the past, but accepts it.

He opposes the war both on the grounds that there simply aren't enough soldiers to carry it out and that the majority of those who will will die. Although he plans to resign if war is declared, he ultimately decides he cannot because his first sworn duty is to his soldiers and his country. Orwellian Editor : Most notably, rewriting an intelligence report because it doesn't say what they want. But perhaps more disturbingly, Linton seems to treat his own memory of events this way: Linton: "Went well in there." Aide: "Got a little hairy at times." Linton: (breezily) "No it didn't." Pointy-Haired Boss : Simon Foster. Bored with his position and obsessed with PR. He is more worried about getting 'The funny question' right on Question Time than anything else, including the fallout from a controversial answer to an ambush question.

Portmanteau : the original TV series coined the phrase "omnishambles." The movie attempts to do the same with "catastrofuck." (A variant, "clusterfuck", is also heard but was popular before this film.) Precision F-Strike : Malcolm to Lintom Barwick "you are a boring f star star CUNT". Professional Butt-Kisser : Chad. His desperate methods to get closer to Linton Barwick include carrying a squash racquet in the hope that Linton will see it and suggest a game. Unfortunately he forgets to take the price tags off first. Even more unfortunately, Linton clearly doesn't notice that Chad even exists in the first place. Ironically, for all his sucking up and Smug Snake behaviour, he ends up being shafted and left with the losing side, whereas Liza—over whom he has spent the entire movie trying to smugly lord it, if not actively sabotage—ends up getting the position with Linton he's coveted. Reassigned to Antarctica : Foster gets sacked from his Government Cabinet posting and has to return to his constituency. Leaving him back in the political wilderness.

Armando Iannucci ensured he could create a realistic portrayal of the US State Department by illegally infiltrating it . By using a fake BBC pass he was able to get past security and spend an hour inside taking photographs: "Part of me thought it was fun, another part thought it was probably international espionage". James Gandolfini visited the Pentagon (legally) while researching for the part of General Miller. He went as far as getting a haircut from the Pentagon barber and having some scary conversations with generals. His recollection of one who couldn't actually remember if he'd killed anyone later inspired one of Malcolm's "Have you ever even actually killed anyone?" in the film. The British bureaucrats compare the Improbable Age of the White House staff to " Bugsy Malone , but with real guns". The conversation about how much blood is actually in There Will Be Blood . Smug Snake : Chad. He likes to brag about his plans to become a senior aide to Linton, but his role as Linton's chief kiss-ass just antagonizes pretty much everyone... except Linton, who barely registers his existence, and can't even remember his name .

Stupid Statement Dance Mix : Among the "media forces of darkness" Malcolm threatens Simon with if he makes a fuss over being sacked is to have his "climb the mountain of conflict" comment made into one of these. Trailers Always Spoil : The UK trailer is pretty much the whole film condensed into two minutes. Lucky non-UK audiences got the delightful Dr. Strangelove -inspired trailer instead. Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist : Most of the cast but Toby arguably comes across as the most dislikeable, being the particularly obnoxious combination of selfish, weak and self righteous. "...and he is gone!" "I'm really quite badly scalded now!" Wants a Prize for Basic Decency : After Simon reads "some extracts from the Riot Act" over turning up late and obviously hungover and unprepared to their meeting with Karen Clarke, Toby protests at this because "it's not like I threw up in there, is it?" Unfortunately for him, Simon has some problems with this line of defence: Simon: No. You're right. I'm being unfair. I should be thanking you for not throwing up. Well done. You're a star. And you didn't wet yourself, did you?

You're in the right city. You didn't say anything overtly racist. You didn't pull your dick out and start plucking it shouting "Willy Banjo!" No, I'm being really unfair! You got so much right... without actually being there for the beginning of one of the most important moments of my career. Thanks. You're a legend. War Is Hell : "This is the problem with civilians wanting to go to war. Once you've been there you never want to go again unless you absolutely have to.... It's like France. " Watch "In the Loop" (2009) Free Online Duration: 106 min In the Loop is a 2009 British satirical black comedy directed by Armando Iannucci as a spin-off from the BBC Television series The Thick of It . The film satirizes Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq. It was nominated for the 2009 Academy Award for Best Adapted... Show More In the Loop is a 2009 British satirical black comedy directed by Armando Iannucci as a spin-off from the BBC Television series The Thick of It .

The film satirizes Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq. It was nominated for the 2009 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In the film, both the UK and the US are on the verge of possibly launching a war in the Middle East. The plot follows government officials and advisors in their out of public view efforts either to promote the war or to prevent it. The film stars Peter Capaldi , Tom Hollander , Gina McKee , Chris Addison , David Rasche , and James Gandolfini . Show Less See All Loading Video... Starz Denver Film Festival Director Britta Erickson joins us in the studio to talk about the 10-day film festival in its 32nd year in Colorado and her film, Convention. This year, 21 of the 210 films are from Colorado, and In the Loop features clips of five of those films in this show. In the Loop Host Scott Rinehart also interviews Mateos Alvarez, co-producer and co-director of Swift Justice: 7 Raids in 7 Hours, which has its world premier at the festival.

Plus, we show those two films' clips and three other clips from Colorado-linked films: Two Spirits, Split Estate, and Con Artist. This part of the show is the interview with Erickson and the beginning of the clip from the documentary, Convention. Co-produced by Tanya Ishikawa and Scott Rinehart. 10 more highly obscure movies every imgurian should see - Album on Imgur 10 more highly obscure movies every imgurian should see by fructosecornsyrup Aug 25 2014 Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009) While drinking at their local pub, three social outcasts attempt to navigate a time-travel conundrum. Gardens of the Night (2008) After being abducted as children, and suffering years of abuse, a teenage boy and girl (Evan Ross and Gillian Jacobs) find themselves living on the street. In the Loop (2009) A 2009 British satirical black comedy directed by Armando Iannucci as a spin-off from the BBC Television series The Thick of It. The film satirizes Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq.

Junebug (2005) A dealer in "outsider" art travels from Chicago to North Carolina to meet her new in-laws, challenging the equilibrium of this middle class Southern home. Manic (2001) Lyle Jensen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is subject to sudden and violent outbursts, and he is committed to the juvenile wing of the Northwood Mental Institution. The psychological problems of the patients there form the fabric by which we see what's right with them, and what's wrong with the society that affects them. Rocket Science (2007) Looking for answers to life's big questions, a stuttering boy joins his high school debate team. (Starring Anna Kendrick and Reese Thompson) The Immigrant (2013) In 1921, unfortunate circumstances drive newly arrived immigrant Ewa (Marion Cotillard) into a life of prostitution, and a complex, volatile relationship with two men - her conflicted pimp (Joaquin Phoenix) and his romantic cousin (Jeremy Renner). The Lookout (2007) Chris (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a once promising high school athlete whose life is turned upside down following a tragic accident.

As he tries to maintain a normal life, he takes a job as a janitor at a bank, where he ultimately finds himself caught up in a planned heist. Transsiberian (2008) A Trans-Siberian train journey from China to Moscow becomes a thrilling chase of deception and murder when an American couple (Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer) encounters a mysterious pair of fellow travelers (Kate Mara and Eduardo Noriega). Welcome to the Rileys (2010) On a business trip to New Orleans, a damaged man (James Gandolfini) seeks salvation by caring for a wayward young woman (Kristen Stewart). In the Loop (2009) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC A political satire about a group of skeptical American and British operatives attempting to prevent a war between two countries.

Director: a list of 48 titles created 24 Dec 2011 a list of 32 titles created 04 Jan 2013 a list of 26 titles created 03 Apr 2015 a list of 30 titles created 10 Nov 2015 a list of 44 titles created 20 Nov 2015 Title: In the Loop (2009) 7.5/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 15 wins & 39 nominations. See more awards » Videos Edit Storyline The US President and UK Prime Minister fancy a war. But not everyone agrees that war is a good thing. The US General Miller doesn't think so and neither does the British Secretary of State for International Development, Simon Foster. But, after Simon accidentally backs military action on TV, he suddenly has a lot of friends in Washington, DC.

If Simon can get in with the right DC people, if his entourage of one can sleep with the right intern, and if they can both stop the Prime Minister's chief spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker rigging the vote at the UN, they can halt the war. If they don't... well, they can always sack their Director of Communications Judy, who they never liked anyway and who's back home dealing with voters with blocked drains and a man who's angry about a collapsing wall. Written by Loop Film Productions Ltd/AT Things Are About To Spin Out Of Control See more » Genres: 4 September 2009 (USA) See more » Also Known As: In the loop See more » Filming Locations: £468,954 (UK) (17 April 2009) Gross: Did You Know?

Trivia The band Cannabis Corpse- a Cannibal Corpse-inspired band with lyrics "highly" focused on marijuana- appears in the film with the song 'Sentenced to Burn One.' See more » Goofs It would seem very out of character for a senior public servant like Michael Rodgers to read Toby Wright's messages off his mobile phone (without Toby's knowledge or consent), and then share with Judy Molloy details of Toby's embarrassing affair with Liza Weld. See more » Quotes See more » Crazy Credits The film's final credits roll over a long shot of the main office. At the very end, Malcolm Tucker comes out, looks at the TV and asks, "Who let this woman out with her fucking hair like this?! On national television?! Looks like she stuck her finger in a fucking electrical socket..." before walking away. See more » Connections (Saffron Walden, UK) – See all my reviews Armando Iannucci's brilliant political satire, 'The Thick Of It', takes obvious cues from real events (and personalities) in British politics; and cooks these ingredients into a splendidly toxic broth personified by the character of Maclolm Tucker, spin doctor extraordinaire, the man with the most inventive foulmouth on the planet.

The other protagonists are slimy, incompetent, self-serving; but part of Iannucci's genius is that even as you hate them, you almost end up feeling sorry for them as well, doomed to play their part in the political machine. It's a brilliant programme; what's even more unusual is the success of its adaptation to the big screen. To make 'In the Loop', Iannucci has directly addressed one of the biggest recent political stories, the second Gulf War, which also allows him to introduce a range of American archetypes into his drama; as with his British characters, the mixture of exaggeration, subtlety and sheer venality in their portrayals is wonderfully judged. And although wholly fictional, as an account of how certain intelligence dossiers came to be faked, it's also wholly compelling and believable. Less surprisingly, many of the regular cast from the TV series also feature in the film, although (Peter Capaldi as Tucker aside) in slightly different roles. But there's no denying the basic quality of the humour here; the title of this review, incidentally, is one character's description of opera. A film which makes you laugh or think as much is rare; one which does both is something special indeed.

40 of 55 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes In the Loop | Yale Law School Library Thursday, September 27, 2012 - 6:15pm Location: Law School Room 129 See map 127 Wall St Event description: In the Loop is a 2009 British satirical black comedy film directed by Armando Iannucci as a spin-off from the highly successful, award-winning BBC Television series The Thick of It. The film satirizes Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq. It was nominated for the 2010 Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay). In the film, the UK and the U.S. are both on the verge of possibly launching a war in the Middle East. The plot follows government officials and advisors in their behind-the-scenes efforts either to promote the war or prevent it. The film stars Tom Hollander, Mimi Kennedy, James Gandolfini, Chris Addison, Peter Capaldi, Anna Chlumsky, Gina McKee, Steve Coogan and David Rasche.

Contact: The 16 Political Thrillers You Need To See | Madman Entertainment Written by Mr. Charles On August 5, 2013 Comments(0) Feature Films The 16 Political Thrillers You Need To See We’re mad for TV series, documentaries and films that get a bit political here at Madman. Over the years we’ve never shied away from thought provoking and let’s face it, slightly left of centre stories that explore power relations in the modern world. Whether you spent too much time partying during your communications degree and want to catch up on some Chomsky or simply want to sit back and watch a compelling chase film starring the who’s who of Hollywood, we reckon we’ve got it covered. So here they are folks, 16 of our favourites: THE COMPANY YOU KEEP: Academy Award® winning director Robert Redford directs an amazing cast in this suspense thriller based on the novel by Neil Gordon. When a former member of the radical protest organisation the Weather Underground (Susan Sarandon) turns herself in to the FBI, Ben Shepard (LaBeouf) an aggressive young journalist, starts searching around for leads on the other members.

With an incredible, award-winning ensemble cast including Shia LaBeouf, Susan Sarandon, Julie Christie, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Jenkins and Stanley Tucci, THE COMPANY YOU KEEP explores how far you would go for what you believe in and to protect the ones you love. THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND: Outraged by the Vietnam War and racism in America, THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND radical movement waged a low-level war against the U.S. government through much of the 1970s, bombing the Capitol building, breaking Timothy Leary out of prison, and evading one of the largest FBI manhunts in history. This feature-length documentary that explores the rise and fall of this radical movement, as former members speak candidly about the idealistic passion that drove them to “bring the war home” and the trajectory that placed them on the FBI’s most wanted list. This is the group that THE COMPANY YOU KEEP is based on and a great factual primer for the Redford film. THE WAR ROOM: The 1992 presidential election was a triumph not only for Bill Clinton but also for the new breed of strategists who guided him to the White House—and changed the face of politics in the process.

At the centre of THE WAR ROOM are the two men who guide Clinton’s presidential bid through all of its turmoil: James Carville, who manages the campaign with a mixture of Southern charm and unrelenting passion; and George Stephanopoulos, who, as communications director, calmly but surely mobilizes Clinton’s staff to take the presidency. These two masterminds ingeniously maneuver the campaign past numerous controversies to the final, nail-biting days leading up to the election itself. PRISONERS OF WAR: From the creator of the US hit HOMELAND. PRISONERS OF WAR begins with the return of three soldiers who had been in captivity for 17 years. Two of them come back alive; one returns in a coffin. During their long years of absence there was no information as to their whereabouts and little is known about what they’ve been through. The series follows the two (and the people closest to them) as they attempt to go back to the lives they were pulled from years ago. THE GATEKEEPERS: Limited in-cinema release from September 5th, 2013 THE GATEKEEPERS offers a riveting and intimate insight into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict told by the six former heads of Shin Bet.

In a style reminiscent of The Fog of War, their confessions of torture and terrorism, arrests and assassinations are illustrated with archival footage and chilling animations. These interviews offer a fascinating window into the moral dilemmas of war. DIRTY WARS: Coming Soon Investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill (author of BLACKWATER: The Rise of the World’s Most Mercenary Army) traces the rise of the Joint Special Operations Command, the most secret fighting force in U.S. history, exposing operations carried out by men who do not exist on paper and will never appear before Congress. This film has received critical acclaim at film festivals around the country, stay tuned for wider release details. ACT OF KILLING: In Australian Cinemas from October 3rd,2013 A documentary that challenges former Indonesian death squad leaders to reenact their real-life mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers. A film that absolutely floored people at film festivals around the country and due for theatrical release late 2013.

POWER AND TERROR – NOAM CHOMSKY: Whether Noam Chomsky, the MIT linguist and political philosopher is the most important intellectual alive, as the New York Times once famously called him, is open for debate. But without a doubt, Chomsky is one of the most straight-talking and committed dissidents of our time. Chomsky places the terrorist attacks of September 11 in the context of American foreign intervention throughout the postwar decades- in Vietnam, Central America, the Middle East, and elsewhere. Beginning with the fundamental principle that the exercise of violence against civilian populations is terror, regardless of whether the perpetrator is a well-organized band of Muslim extremists, or the most powerful state in the world. Chomsky, in stark and uncompromising terms, challenges the United States to apply to its own actions the moral standards it demands of others. MANUFACTURING CONSENT: Companion release to POWER & TERROR, MANUFACTURING CONSENT is at times funny, provocative and surprisingly accessible. Based on Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media (1988), by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky .

Chomsky argues (pretty effectively) that the mass media of the United States (and by extension the Western World) are “effective and powerful ideological institutions that carry out a system-supportive propaganda function by reliance on market forces, internalized assumptions, and self-censorship, and without overt coercion”. You’ll never read the Herald-Sun the same way again. BALIBO: BALIBO is a political drama that tells the true story of crimes that have been covered up for over thirty years. In 1975 as Indonesia prepares to invade the tiny nation of East Timor, five Australian-based journalists go missing. Four weeks later, veteran foreign correspondent Roger East is lured to East Timor by the young and charismatic José Ramos-Horta to tell the story of his country and investigate the fate of the missing men. As East’s determination to uncover the truth grows, the threat of invasion intensifies and an unlikely friendship develops between the last foreign correspondent in East Timor and the man who will become President. THE SILENT WAR: In 1950s, the China Republic Government has been newly established.

701 Bureau is the new “CIA” of operations and vigilantly monitor the airwaves for the many coded transmissions between enemy spies. An espionage thriller set in the 1950s and adapted from the novel “Year Suan/Plot Against” by May Jia. Tony Leung Chiu Wai plays a blind man who works for a piano tuner. He is recruited for a spy mission because of his exceptional hearing. CLIENT 9: THE RISE AND FALL OF ELIOT SPITZER: Nicknamed “The Sheriff of Wall Street,” when he was NY’s Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer prosecuted crimes by America’s largest financial institutions and some of the most powerful executives in the country. After his election as Governor, with the largest margin in the state’s history, many believed Spitzer was on his way to becoming the nation’s first Jewish President. Then, shockingly, Spitzer’s meteoric rise turned into a precipitous fall when the New York Times revealed that Spitzer – the paragon of rectitude – had been caught seeing prostitutes. Directed by Academy-Award® winner Alex Gibney (SILENCE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD: MEA MAXIMA CULPA).

ENDGAME: In 1985, South Africa burns as the vile Apartheid regime reaches breaking point. In the months leading up to this historic moment, a group of men hold secret talks to bring about peace and democracy to the nation. Under constant threat and fearful for their lives, a gathering of ANC “terrorists” led by Thabo Mbeki and key Afrikaner representatives meet in a manor house in England. Through volatile discussions, setbacks and breakthroughs, the secret talks in Britain become a precious arena for airing opinions, arguing consequences and developing a frail trust between two archenemies. THE SHOOTER: When the popular Greens party vows to abolish oil drilling in Greenland, the citizens take notice, voting them in in a landslide victory. But only months after taking office, the Greens pull a complete backflip, and the citizens are furious. One political activist takes it upon himself to make the government pay for their lies. Stars LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED and A ROYAL AFFAIR’S Trine Dyrholm alongside THE KILLING’s Nikolaj Lie Kaas and THE BRIDGE and PUSHER TRILOGY’s Kim Bodnia.

TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE: Over one hundred prisoners have died in suspicious circumstances in U.S. custody during the “war on terror”. TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE takes an in-depth look at one case: an Afghan taxi driver called Dilawar. The film documents how the former Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, together with the White House legal team, were able to convince Congress to approve the use of torture against prisoners of war. Heavy stuff, but essential viewing if you want to understand the bureaucracy that deems torture permissible in our so-called civilized society. This film won the 2008 Academy Award for the Best Documentary Feature. IN THE LOOP: Staring Peter Capaldi, (the new Doctor Who!) and James Gandolfini ( Sopranos) we thought we’d end this list on an upbeat note. IN THE LOOP is a brilliant satirical black comedy directed by Armando Iannucci as a spin-off from the award-winning BBC Television series The Thick of It. The film satirizes Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq.

It was nominated for the 2010 Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) and it has some brutal and hilarious one liners. So, that’s the list of our favourite politically charged films, as chosen by Madman staff. What do you think? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments. Found this article enlightening? Sign up to the Madman mailing list to keep up to date on all the latest news! Subscribe

Question: In the Loop was a film spin-off from which satirical television series?
Answer: The Thick of It