2010
Directed by Chris Morris
Creating a comedy about terrorists is a daunting task. And I tend to hate the comedies that aim to be as offensive as possible, like Borat. But I actually quite enjoyed this. It didn't feel like any character was the butt of the joke. Instead, the comedy was a means of demystifying the idea of suicide bombers.
A group of radicalized British Muslim men aspire to commit an act of terrorism. There's Barry, a white Islam convert who believes the best way to avenge Western imperialism is to bomb a mosque. There's Omar and his witless cousin Waj. Then there's Faisal, who is perhaps the stupidest of the bunch.
I like that the movie didn't dwell on the religious fanaticism behind the actions of the group. I think we tend to believe terrorists are purely motivated by religion, and often ignore the other factors that go into it. Here, less focus is paid on religion, and instead the film zeroes in on their dim-witted antics. Strangely, it still felt has though their characters were treated with respect.
But shame on them for considering blowing up a Boots. They have such good candy there.
RATING: ****-
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
After the film premiered the UK terror threat level was raised to "severe."
Wow Amanda, after a long period of 3 a month, here comes a wonderful rush of films all in a row.
ReplyDeleteThis one was .. conflicting.
OK, come out and say it, it was great. I really enjoyed watching it, and it made some good points .. but then , with no notice, I felt awkward, unsettled, uncomfortable at just how close to the knuckle it went.
In an era of heightened awareness, and everyone (well, everyone who has any sensitivity) is trying their best to ... be aware, this sometimes felt it had gone too far .. Thoughts like "you really shouldn't say that.." kept cropping up.. then the other voice said "ah, but that's a valid point .." Scream.
BTW, what confectionary have you found in Boots? All I've ever seen is the revolting zero calorie , no sugar, no anything stuff
But, then, this is Chris Morris. Revered and idolised for going right up to the line of what's acceptable and then marching over it to unsettle his fans and sneer at the hypocrisies of his critics.
DeleteThis is one of those films I keep meaning to get around to watching so am glad to note that it's on the list as, in theory, I won't forget as long as I keep on going.
Glad I wasn't the only one to raise an eyebrow at the Boots reference.
There is something I always get at Boots...but I'm not about to advertise it. Yes, I have many drafts to published that I wrote before my surgery. I liked his comedy, it felt very calculated.
ReplyDelete