In the Loop Armando Iannucci UK 2009
In the Loop, the big screen outing for the BBC television series, The Thick of It, is a foul-mouthed comedy that will have you laughing hysterically, often in despair, at the culture of political power.
Coming out with impeccable timing hot on the heels of the Damien McBride email scandal, the film depicts mostly well intentioned officials trading witty and often graphic insults as they try to scramble out of a crisis whilst trying to look good and ‘stay on message.’
McBride, advisor to Gordon Brown, resigned in April after the leaked emails revealed his discussions of a campaign to use unfounded rumour to damage opposition politicians. The incident seemingly confirms the stereotype of government as made up of self-interested-promoters. In the Loop flourishes and expands on this by upgrading Whitehall power plays to the international stage.
The action focuses on UK Minister for International Development Simon Foster (played by Tom Hollander), who becomes embroiled in US foreign policy by making ambivalent remarks about possible conflict in the Middle East. First describing combat as “unforeseeable” on a radio show, he then lets rip with the delightful whopper about “climbing the mountain of conflict”, drawing him further to both pro and anti-war politicians in Washington. Invitations to the US follow as Foster is bewitched in the headlights of American political glamour in this thinly veiled satire.
Presiding over all of this is the demonic Peter Capaldi character Malcolm Tucker who swears in increasingly ludicrous and graphic ways as he bullies all around him. The only character who recurs as himself from the television series, Tucker is of course indispensable but has now become so iconic that’s he’s in danger of becoming a blue-tongued pantomime villain. Americans instead provide the new blood with James Gandolfini (of The Sopranos) appearing as a general and David Rasche as a warmongering senator.
Encouragingly, In the Loop does depict at least some of the characters as human beings. Once war becomes inevitable Foster almost shows remorse for what he’s involved himself in. It’s just for a moment mind before he returns to worrying about his career but it’s there.
Nimbly sidestepping the usual perils of updating a sitcom to the movies, In the Loop stays both timely and it copes with the larger scale. This bodes well for any future films director Armando Iannucci may make demonstrating that’s he’s made the transition from television to film remarkably well.
