Al-Qaida meets the Three Stooges plus one. Laughs -- political and slapstick, infantile and dark --are fast, abundant and whistfully wish fulfilling. Wouldn't the world be a better place if terrorists were bafoons, simplistic not-even-near-do-wells who are so stupid they're thrown out of a terrorist training camp and go it alone to make their mark for jihad and go to a heaven full of virgins for them to rape?
Four would-be terrorists, Omar (Riz Ahmed), Waj (Kayvan Novak), Barry (a Caucasian malcontent with a huge case of Reichian impotant rage who uses Muslim extremist vengance to ease his neuroses) (Nigel Lindsay), and Faisal (Adeel Akhtar), attempt to fulfill destiny by killing as many innocent people as possible in the name of Allah. The problem is one is stupidier than the next. For instance, we see them trying to make a terrorist video, but constantly interrupt the recording to criticize the size of the plastic gun being held by the spokesperson. To live a little longer, one decides to attach small bombs to crows rather than himself and train the crows to fly into office windows -- to no avail. This secret cell of four can't keep a secret as to the location of their hideout replete with fixings for bombs and get lots of visitors looking for a place to chill out. In short, they can barely keep themselves from becoming their own victims.
Though writer/director Chris Morris says his vast research uncovered just such examples of humorous incompetency, I can't help but feel this view of terrorism in Europe and Pakistan is a way of diffusing fear among us democracy loving capitalists. We will certainly feel more confident and less fearful of terrorist threats having seen this film. But should we? I recently reviewed 'Fair Game,' which recreates the true story of CIA agent Valerie Plame and her husband, ex-Ambassador Joe Wilson who both did research into White House claims of Iraq having weapons of mass destruction which was the motivation for the invasion of said country oh so many years ago. They found no such evidence. Their insights in this film look bad for the Bush administration, but comforting for us Americans.
Perhaps we're all tired of being afraid and want a little relief. And perhaps there's no point in being afraid since we common citizens of the Western World really can't do anything about the terrorist threat. So, let us see 'Fair Game' and stop considering building bomb shelters a la the cold war. Let's enjoy the biting humor for 'Four Lions.' As true as this depiction in Four Lions may be, as moronic and ineffectual as these characters are, letter bombs are exploding as I write this review. So, don't open letters from Yemen or anywhere else east of the Mediterranean and let M5, CIA and other international agencies do their job.
It's a very reassuring comedy to watch. Yet, though Chris Morris says he does not criticize the culture or the religion of these specific terrorists or terrorists in general, Muslim fanatics are known for their lack of humor about any kind of comedic pot shots. Will the stars of this film survive; will all the people attached to this film escape retaliation for depicting jihad terrorists in such a pathetic light? Who will get the last laugh?
One thing, though. The most frightening moment of the film for me was when Omar and his wife (played by Preeya Kalidas) have a discussion at their kitchen table. Their young son, maybe 10 years old or so, joins them and exclaims how wonderful it is to die for jihad, what a good death and what a wonderful afterlife is in store. The parents smile and agree. This, not the exploding bombs, the training camp in Pakistan, the wild pursuit through the streets of an unnamed city in England, chilled me to the core. The next generation is trained and eager to take the place of this, with no end in sight.
Four Lions
Director: Chris Morris
Writers: Chris Morris, Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain
Cast: Riz Ahmed, Arsher Ali, Nigel Lindsay, Kayvan Novak, Benedict Cumberbatch, Julia Davis, Craig Parkinson, Preeya Kalidas, Wasim Zakir, Mohammad Aqil
Time: 102 min.
Rated: R
Opens November 12 at the Lumiere in San Francisco and the Shattuck in Berkeley
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