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Post by ikderk on Mar 11, 2011 15:03:40 GMT -5
Considering episode 207 cited Four Lions as the BP Spirit Award (or whatever), I felt like it deserved its own thread.
I just saw the film and really enjoyed it. It reminded of me of In the Loop in its farcical approach to a very serious topic. Four Lions doesn't go out of its way to take a PC approach to anyone and there really aren't good guys in the film.
Omar, the main character, is pretty sympathetic despite his aims. It might be that we take the idea of suicide bombing less seriously (or there's a lack of menace because the crew is so inept). I wondered if anyone has any comments about the first scene with Omar and his brother.
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Dr Handsome
Full Member
...but you can call me Eric.
Posts: 240
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Post by Dr Handsome on Mar 11, 2011 15:24:07 GMT -5
I'm looking forward to watching this one now that it's on DVD!
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Post by bouncingbrick on Mar 17, 2011 19:51:07 GMT -5
I enjoyed this movie quite a bit.
*light spoilers ahead* That said, I found it kind of hard to watch. The first half was a bit off putting because of the subject matter, even though it's taken so lightly. The second half feels a bit too real. I laughed out loud a few times, which is a high compliment about a comedy from me, but it was still sort of depressing. Every death felt very real, even though they sometimes happened very comedically, like the heimlich scene. I would argue that all of the characters are quiet sympathetic. It's hard to sympathize with thier goals, but it's very easy to understand them as characters. I'd argue that all of them are good guys, they just have misguided goals. Then again, maybe radical Muslims are right. Maybe my consumerist ways are just a short path to evil...
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Post by ikderk on Mar 23, 2011 2:11:09 GMT -5
*Ditto light spoilers*
I'd agree that parts of it are depressing. I wonder if the outcome had been reversed if the movie would feel different. I think the movie would have felt cheap, especially if the third act was different.
Four Lions is a dark comedy, so a little depression is expected. I felt the impact of the deaths more than in a film like Syriana because I cared about the people involved. It's odd, but Four Lions does more to humanize terrorists than most films about terrorism. That helps the comedy (comedy works better when it's specific), but does that say something about how terrorism is depicted in other films?
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Post by cinemalacrum on Feb 23, 2012 2:43:54 GMT -5
I desperately championed, to no avail, to get this screened at a local film series. However, thanks to Netflix, it will be at my house within days.
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