Film Review: ‘Four Lions’ Dares to Humanize Terrorists Through Satire

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CHICAGO – If the objective of war is to drain the enemy of all humanity, then “Four Lions” is one of the best anti-war movies in recent years. Many people prefer thinking of terrorists in the same abstract terms that the terrorists themselves think of their victims. If war is all about demonizing “the other side,” how can we ever hope to come to a mutual understanding?

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.5/5.0
Rating: 4.5/5.0

British satirist Chris Morris has made a career out of tackling controversial issues, whether on the airwaves of BBC Radio or in his acclaimed TV shows, such as “The Day Today,” a mock news program that debuted two years prior to “The Daily Show.” The news studio included a “physical cartoonist” who preceded his still-life sketches with a dryly delivered explanation of their meaning. This hilarious routine perfectly encapsulates the sort of self consciously comfortable comedy that makes Morris squirm. He has no interest in relying on safe comic caricatures to get a laugh. His goal is to subvert stereotypes, not reinforce them.

StarRead Matt Fagerholm’s full review of “Four Lions” in our reviews section.

One of the most daring aspects of Morris’s feature filmmaking debut, “Four Lions,” is the fact that there is nothing inherently funny about its basic premise, which centers on a group of British jihadists intent on blowing themselves up. The lead character, Omar (Riz Ahmed), has many qualities one would attribute to the conventional hero persona. He’s a dedicated family man, a passionate rebel and a seemingly natural leader. When he finds himself momentarily racked with self-doubt, his wife comes to the rescue, encouraging him to realize his dreams. We’ve seen this scenario in countless other inspirational pictures before, but in the context of this plot, it is utterly chilling (and more than a little bewildering). The fascinating thing about Omar and his bumbling band of brothers is the degree to which they are fallible, conflicted and woefully misguided in their self-righteous crusade. Though there have been some great films made about the psyche of a terrorist (such as Hany Abu-Assad’s “Paradise Now”), “Lions” is the first to mine its fundamental absurdity.

‘Four Lions’ stars Riz Ahmed, Kayvan Novak, Nigel Lindsay, Arsher Ali, Adeel Akhtar and Benedict Cumberbatch. It was written by Chris Morris, Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain and directed by Chris Morris. It opened Nov. 12 in local theaters. It is rated R.

StarContinue reading for Matt Fagerholm’s full “Four Lions” review.

Nigel Lindsay, Kayvan Novak and Riz Ahmed star in Chris Morris’s Four Lions.
Nigel Lindsay, Kayvan Novak and Riz Ahmed star in Chris Morris’s Four Lions.
Photo credit: Alamo Drafthouse Films

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