In the Loop is an often hilarious political satire that reaffirms my belief that all obscenities sound better in a foreign accent. Not necessarily foreign, but anything that’s not the bland Ohioan dialect I’m used to. Even if the rest of the film was not as pitch-perfect as it is, at least I would have the joy of listening to Peter Capaldi recite his lines of joyous filth. As for the rest of the film, it hits just about every note right. It satirizes both American and British government mercilessly, yet adds a hint of sincerity to keep it from becoming a complete cartoon.
Essentially the film follows various members of government, mostly inept, in the days leading up to the invasion of a middle-eastern country. (There’s certainly an Iraq War motif in my early reviews, isn’t there?) Its biggest influence is obviously "The Office", probably more the British version. Your Michael Scott/David Brent character here is the British Minister for International Development Simon Foster, played by Tom Hollander who had a supporting role in the final two Pirates of the Caribbean films. He is a man who is easily pushed around by others, and he finds it hard to stand firmly on one side of an issue. Most notably he is bullied around by Malcolm Tucker, the foulmouthed enforcer of the Prime Minister played by the aforementioned Peter Capaldi. Foster is now being forced by Capaldi to revoke statements he made on the radio the previous night, saying that war was “unforeseeable”. Tucker wants Foster to stick to the “script”, which states that war is equally likely and unlikely. Essentially he wants Foster to not give an answer.
On the American side sits the Assistant Secretary of State Linton Barwick, who very much supports the pro-war agenda. He insults people in such as casual way they sound like compliments, making him an obvious contrast to Malcolm Tucker’s methods. On the American anti-war front lie Lt. General Miller played by James Gandolfini, Karen Clarke, the other assistant Secretary of State, and Liza Weld, who wrote a paper outlining the argument against war. It is rumored that Linton Barwick has started a war committee under the name the “Future Planning Committee”, and he has invited Simon Foster and Malcolm Tucker to the next meeting so long as they don’t leak its existence. Neither of them do, but the latest addition to Foster’s staff, the young Toby Wright, does.
What follows is endless and hilarious chaos, from a man running across Washington to get to the meeting of the war committee, to a man being told to convince the UN to keep changing the time of the vote for war, to a seemingly pointless B-plot involving Steve Coogan and his collapsing wall. I can’t describe most of the hilarity found here simply because it is found in small moments and dialogue. Any time Simon Foster opens his mouth, it always ends up getting him in to deeper trouble. I haven’t mentioned the character Toby Wright much, but he is the character whose eyes we see much of this film through. This entire world is foreign to him, as it is to us. He is not an incredibly sympathetic character, however. He cheats on his girlfriend Suzy, and has all the characteristics of a potential young Malcolm Tucker.
One of the film’s more intriguing observations is that Washington is run by twenty year-olds. Wherever the British go, they are greeted by young people who usher them around are their hosts. The film argues that the middle-aged leaders are just figureheads for the young people who truly have all the power. I feel this may be truer than many Americans care to admit. You watch any campaign event and you see these faces. It appears you go to these Ivy League schools and you are ushered in to these high-level positions. They are like Jedi, chosen at birth. I feel that is one of the biggest statements made here, in an America that seems to be ruled by young hotshots such as James O’Keefe. (Who has turned out to be a fraud, for there is justice in the universe.)
This is a satire that says something about a time, place, and situation. You are living in this world. Yes, it is exaggerated, but not as much as you or I would like to think, and it is best to laugh to keep from crying.
Rating:
(out of 4)
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