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

According to Christopher Morris, Barry, the Jihadist group leader, was based on a former BNP member who in an attempt to out-knowledge the Asian youths he regularly assaulted, studied the Qur'an and as a result "accidentally converted himself" and became a Muslim.

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Goofs

The terrorist instructor has a belt of ammunition over his shoulder. These are fake as they have no primers.

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Quotes

Waj: Rubber dinghy rapids bro.

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Crazy Credits

The London Marathon had no involvement in the making of this film and its portrayal is entirely a work of fiction

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Connections

Referenced in Estrenos Críticos: Los Tres Mosqueteros (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Strings Of Life (Acid Brass)"
(End titles music)
Performed by Williams Fairey Brass Band
Published by EMI Trade Marketing

User Reviews

Excellent original film made primarily for a British Audience.

4 Lions is an excellent well thought out film with a great pace, very funny, and very thoughtful.

After watching the film I wondered at some of the choices Morris had made concerning the depth of the characters in the film and their motivation. On reflection I could see the extremely clever and thoughtful way that he had written the script. This film is a fantastic means of attacking the media's paniced frenzy regarding Muslim extremist's bomb attacks.

I went to this film with no more knowledge then 'it's a black comedy about Muslim extremist bombers in Britain written and directed by Chris Morris'. Although I have followed Chris Morris' work throughout his television career. I didn't know what to expect at all - whether it would work or not. Some friends who said they had seen the trailer for it at the cinema said it didn't look that good. It proved to be very good.

It entertains very well and holds your attention. But the depth of the film is that after it you have plenty of thoughts on the subject matter and they all encourage an open minded re-exploring of thoughts on the Muslim communities in Britain and the media's frenzy around terrorism and Muslim communities in Britain.

There are specific parts of the film which are so clever in how they raise questions that I'd love to talk about them but I'd spoil the film. I think that it's best to go see the film and enjoy it as great entertainment. On the way out of the cinema all the issues involved will be real food for thought.

One of the thoughts I had after leaving was that Chris Morris had perhaps written this with the first audience in his mind as British Muslims and not in any patronising or preaching way, but further thought made me believe the film was for all English people specifically. Undoubtedly this film can work internationally and is well worth watching if you are from some other country. But it was great that Morris had made no concessions to this so he could tell the story the way he wanted to.

Other nationalities watching the film may well have trouble with some of the dialogue but you'll be OK. Watch this film, it's undoubtedly the most important film to come out of the UK for a very long time, and what's more it's bloody good entertainment.