Whoever said that curse words were neither big nor clever had clearly never heard Peter Capaldi master a diatribe of censor-baiting expletives.
In The Loop was released on DVD this week and, although it may have a dirty mouth, it is one of the funniest British films of the decade.
In The Loop takes a look at Minister Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), having to deal with the aftermath of a fumbled statement on war, finding himself dealing with US officials who want to use him for their own political agendas. Meanwhile he has to deal with his constituency problems (involving Steve Coogan and a falling wall) and the PM’s spin doctor Malcolm Tucker (Capaldi) making his ears bleed from a constant verbal barrage.
In The Loop is engaging, hilarious and as well-timed as anyone could hope for. The tale of a bumbling Minister, fumbling his way through government all over the globe doesn’t just make for great entertainment – it’s also scarily accurate. It’s about time that we had some truly biting political satire, and it’s a pleasure that it comes from the UK.
In The Loop is directed by Armando Iannucci and it may be familiar to some as a spin-off from the BBC comedy series The Thick Of It. Iannucci manages to bring together a gifted group of actors who all get their chance to shine in different ways, making for a cracking ensemble. Using the same style for both the show and the film was a bold move but the realism presented with the docu-style filmmaking strips away the sheen of government buildings and US department hallways, making for a refreshingly mundane atmosphere.
Hollander makes for a particularly doughy, self-absorbed sap. Leading most of the film, he’s a character so idiotic that he can only be believable, the chaotic political whirlwind swallows him up and becomes confusing for both him and the audience. In the end though, that is the point. Politics confuses the politicians to such an extent that you can only sit back and laugh. Or cry.
It’s hard to really dig deep into In The Loop – it flies by with the ferocity of the foul-mouthed tirades of Malcolm Tucker and has a bolstering cast of fascinating and hilarious characters. The US actors give just as much as the UK, including James Gandolfini‘s General, whose calm, bitter attitude makes for a delightful antithesis to Capaldi. There’s too much to praise here, further demonstrated by half an hour of deleted scenes which may not add anything to the story but remain as engaging and funny as the feature itself.
This is a rare British film, one with rich characters, belly laughs and an intelligent plot to boot. Capaldi and Hollander make for two fantastic characters, and they’ve got ample support. It may be the most starkly relevant piece of cinema of the last few years and one that will sit among Britain’s proudest output for years.
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