In the Loop (2009)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Armando Iannucci

Writers:

Jesse Armstrong (written by)
Simon Blackwell (written by)

Release Date:

24 July 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The fate of the world is on the line.

Plot:

The US President and UK Prime Minister fancy a war. But not everyone agrees that war is a good thing...

Plot Keywords:

Satire | Politics | White House | 10 Downing Street | United Nations

Cast

Peter Capaldi	...	Malcolm Tucker
Tom Hollander	...	Simon Foster
Gina McKee	...	Judy Molloy
James Gandolfini	...	Lt. Gen. George Miller
Chris Addison	...	Toby Wright
Anna Chlumsky	...	Liza Weld
Enzo Cilenti	...	Bob Adriano
Paul Higgins	...	Jamie MacDonald
Mimi Kennedy	...	Karen Clarke
Alex Macqueen	...	Sir Jonathan Tutt
Johnny Pemberton	...	A.J. Brown
Olivia Poulet	...	Suzy
David Rasche	...	Linton Barwick
Joanna Scanlan	...	Roz
James Smith	...	Michael Rodgers

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | New Zealand:R13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:18A (British Columbia)

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

BBC Films

Trivia:

Director Armando Iannucci provides the voice over for when the UN resolution passes.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Simon and Toby arriving in Washington are shown entering the terminal at Reagan National Airport from the local ground-side, and there is no immigration/customs clearance at this airport.

Quotes:

Linton Barwick: I can't stand to see a woman bleed from the mouth. It reminds me of that Country & Western music which I cannot abide.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Have I Got News for You: (#37.2)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Prelude no. 1 in C major from The Well-tempered Clavier

It's a long time since I've seen a money this funny...

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.