Four Lions (2010)

Four incompetent British jihadists set out to train for and commit an act of terror.

Director:

Christopher Morris

Writers:

Christopher Morris, Sam Bain,

Stars:

Kayvan Novak, Riz Ahmed, Adeel Akhtar

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 5 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kayvan Novak	...	Waj
Nigel Lindsay	...	Barry
Riz Ahmed	...	Omar
Adeel Akhtar	...	Faisal
Preeya Kalidas	...	Sofia
Mohammad Aqil	...	Mahmood
Craig Parkinson	...	Matt
Karl Seth	...	Uncle Imran
Waleed Elgadi	...	Khalid (as Willliam El-Gardi)
Alex Macqueen	...	Malcolm Storge MP (as Alex MacQueen)
Shameem Ahmad	...	Chairwoman
Arsher Ali	...	Hassan
Julia Davis	...	Alice
Wasim Zakir	...	Ahmed
Jonathan Maitland	...	Newsreader (as Jonny Maitland)

Storyline

Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point. As the wheels fly off, and their competing ideologies clash, what emerges is an emotionally engaging (and entirely plausible) farce. In a storm of razor-sharp verbal jousting and large-scale set pieces, Four Lions is a comic tour de force; it shows that-while terrorism is about ideology-it can also be about idiots.

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Plot Keywords:

crow | muslim | disney | explosive | accidental death | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language throughout, including some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK France

Language:

English Urdu Arabic

Release Date:

7 May 2010 (UK)

Also Known As:

Cztery lwy

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$41,512 (USA) (5 November 2010)

Gross:

$304,137 (USA) (18 February 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film4, Warp Films, Wild Bunch

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The last scenes set in London were actually filmed in Sheffield. The scene in "Kebabish" was filmed at Kebabish on the Wicker, in Sheffield. The other scenes were filmed on the Moor (a shopping area being renovated) and Campo Lane. Also, there are some shots where "For Sale" signs are visible and clearly show that they refer to Sheffield.

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Goofs

When Barry is driving the group to the airport in his Citroen Xantia, he pulls over in a huff and swallows the key to stop them going. However, the key he produces and swallows is a Ford key, not a Citroen key. Additionally, the car is fitted as standard with a keypad immobiliser, requiring a security number to start - so Omar's attempt to hotwire the car would not have succeeded in real life.

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Quotes

Waj: Rubber dinghy rapids bro.

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Crazy Credits

One sheep was blown up in the making of this film

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Connections

References First Blood (1982)

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Soundtracks

"Aag Ka Dariya"
Written by Dr. Zeus
Performed by Dr. Zeus featuring Yana Gupta
Licensed courtesy of Envy Entertainment Ltd

User Reviews

Powerful and very, very funny.

Chris Morris has never been one to shy away from subjects that others would call taboo or simply just wrong and that isn't going to change with his latest film 'Four Lions' the story of a group of wannabe suicide bombers. Not the most jovial of subjects I hear you cry, but how wrong could you be? For here we have not only a truly funny film but also a poignant one and one of the best British films of the last decade. Meticulous to detail Morris spent over five years researching the films central themes of terrorism and religion and a lifetime of studying human behaviour and it's only with this foundation that he, along with co writers Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong (Peep Show), could have made such a brilliant film. You will laugh and hard, then you will realise what it is you are laughing at take a breath and then laugh some more. In the same way that the recent American remake of Battlestar Galactica dealt in allegories of the war on terror, politics and human nature but just happened to be set in space 'Four Lions' just happens to be set in a terrorist cell and in his own admission Morris admitted that he wanted to explore group dynamics that could be found either in a football team, a club of sorts or the guys in this movie. It is so cleverly done that at no point is the film patronising or preachy it just makes you think about the absurd nature of how people think and what lengths they will go to for something they believe in. The film also contains some scenes of the gang spending normal time with their families, even discussing their plans with the children and it's in these scenes that we given over to the idea that they are ordinary people about to do something extraordinary. The cast play their roles, not only with great comic timing, but with an understanding of the subject matter that reflects in their performances. The script is so sharp that not only will you miss stuff on first viewing you will be quoting it for months to come. It is well shot and perfectly paced but let's not forget that this is satire of the highest order and in that there will be elements that might not appeal to all. But if you think you can stomach it then let me assure you that you will see one of the funniest films from one of Britain's most underrated and genuinely talented comedians. Rubber dingy rapids.