Review of In the Loop (2009) by Jamie T — 07 Feb 2011

They say repeat viewings make great films greater and weak films weaker. Certainly in the case of IN THE LOOP, I have gone from merely liking the film to realizing what it is: a masterpiece, one of the funniest films ever made, probably the greatest political comedy ever made--and a potent, chilling look at the way government works.

Armando Iannucci's direction is brilliant, utilizing the fly-on-the-wall approach of, say, THIS IS SPINAL TAP, driving home just how absurd, yet real, the characters and their actions are. The direction is subtle and graceful, and the film flows beautifully. The Oscar-nominated script, co-written by Iannucci, is chock-full of hilarious lines; it's an eminently quotable film. And it's not just clever quotes; there are real and sobering messages to be found here, along with brilliantly drawn characters, who are perfectly cast and played. The acting is almost invisible, which is to say, highly convincing. Peter Capaldi is simply brilliant as the hell-on-wheels Director of Communications, Malcolm Tucker. Despite spending the majority of his screentime hurling out verbal abuse at one and all, Malcolm never feels like a cartoon. Paul Higgins is equally hilarious as his psychotic acolyte, and one wishes he had more screentime. Tom Hollander, as the sublimely dense Simon Foster, and Chris Addison as Toby, his nebbishy advisor, make a great double act, as do Mimi Kennedy as a high-strung American diplomat and Anna Chlumsky as her aide who finds herself mired in controversy over a report which is subsequently distorted to fit the needs of her bosses and their cronies. The worst offender in that regard is Linton Barwick (David Rasche), who is legitimately frightening as the official ready to re-write facts and history to get his way. James Gandolfini is fine as a two-faced general who matches Tucker for verbal viciousness, and Steve Coogan, nearly unrecognizable here, has a funny supporting role as one of Hollander's unsatisfied constituents.

MILD SPOILERS: What one realizes, especially with repeat viewing, is how many layers are built into these characters. Malcolm, despite terrorizing everyone throughout the first three-quarters of the film, is finally told by Barwick that he is working FOR Barwick, and the temporary blow this deals to Malcolm's persona is beautifully shown by Capaldi. Toby, while serving in many ways as the likable everyman, is far from ideal, constantly shifting blame or lying to cover his ass; at the end, he has lost everything, and it's a tribute to Addison's fine performance that he maintains our sympathy even then. Truly, IN THE LOOP is a dark, troubling film; despite the mountain of laughs to be had, it's a complexly unpleasant world to enter, but the script and direction are so deft as to make it marvelously enjoyable even when you may feel the urge to cringe.

Jamie Cairney's cinematography is solid, and Cristina Casali's production design greatly impressive for the tiny (under $1 million) budget. Adem Ilhan's haunting score provides the perfect backdrop to the material.

There are a few minor flaws: there's a surfeit of pop culture references, and while many of these are clever, they occasionally feel like name-dropping ("Did Linton post an invite on Facebook or something?" is particularly bad); they may also date the film in years to come. And some may find the misanthropic tone a bit much at times. But I honestly can't imagine anyone not liking this movie. It's funny, it's human, it's timely, and it's one of the best films of the 2000s.