| BaftaBaby |
Posted - 12/23/2010 : 18:06:43
Chris Morris, comedy brain supreme, caused one of the most hysterical and potent media scandals with his Cake episode of a seminal series called Brass Eye. The show parodied those hard-hitting investigative series which intercut filmed sequences with talking head interviews, sometimes with media celebs. Cake was supposed to be a highly addictive substance being marketed to children. Many politicians and telly personalities were duped into proclaiming their collective outrage. But neither the episode nor the show was about embarrassing particular people, nor was it, as some asshole critics declared, condoning kids taking drugs. It was a scathing examination of how far the media will go for a sensational story.
Morris's reputation survived, though his prime-time profile suffered. Four Lions should redress the balance. It's his feature directorial debut and pulls no punches about the insane way the media portrays Muslims, primarily to justify the barely legal so-called security operations.
By the way, much of it is stunningly funny. Anyone who's concluded that Morris is racially prejudiced because one of his main characters isn't the brightest bulb on the tree, really can't see beyond their own nose.
Morris presents us with four friends, flirting with and then wholly embracing the kind of Muslim revenge on -- well, on not being Muslim. They plan a series of destructions in the name of the cause, but are completely deluded about what that cause might be. Their hip-hop street talk blends into a kind of Pakistani slang with bits of the Koran and the wisdom of elders. They each have their own interpretation of the meaning, except that they can all relate to blowing stuff up.
The film follows them in their determination to do something, hiding their fears behind bombast. Only the white convert consistently pursues his fanatacism, disgusted by everyone and everything, even these so-called mates.
Without turning a kleig light on it, Morris implies the various ways that policy makers manipulate society's outsiders to justify their own agenda.
It's funny, warm, and very human.
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