Thomas’s review published on Letterboxd:
Political satire and black comedy at their finest. Armando Iannucci´s “In the Loop”, a spin-off from his BBC series “The Thick of It” (the spiritual predecessor to his later American show “Veep”), provides us with a fictional behind the scenes look at the clusterfuck of British/American political decision making that led to the military intervention in the Middle East. I don´t know why this movie isn´t more talked about, it´s a total riot from start to finish.
Iannucci strips politics of any glamour and dignity and portrays government officials as either ruthless sociopaths, pathetic buffoons, opportunist careerists, or a mixture of those things. The film paints a bleak and cynical picture of the political system, while being endlessly entertaining and laugh out loud hilarious. Among its strengths are the immersive faux-documentary style, exhilarating pacing and rhythm, and razor-sharp rapid-fire dialogue that elevates cursing to an art form. Not to mention the outstanding ensemble cast. Tom Hollander, Chris Addison, Mimi Kennedy, Anna Chlumsky, Paul Higgins, and David Rasche all deliver committed and wonderfully idiosyncratic performances but it´s Peter Capaldi who steals the whole show as the choleric and foulmouthed Scottish spin doctor Malcom Tucker. His incredible intensity radiates from the screen and commands your attention. Only the great James Gandolfini can keep up with Capaldi in his few scenes. When he talks with his normal voice he seems like a completely different man, but whenever he gets angry, I think “Ah, here is Tony Soprano”. What a screen presence that guy had. He is greatly missed.
The plot is purposely convoluted to convey the messy, absurd, and often totally nonsensical nature of politics, and it doesn´t matter if you can´t follow all the schemes and procedures. In the end, it´s all about the characters and the dialogue, and those aspects are phenomenal. There isn´t a single dull moment in the entire film. “In the Loop” is an exceptionally witty, audacious, and scathing satire and one of the most quotable movies of the 21st century. Much more people should know about it.
