"In the Loop" by Armando Iannucci

In Great Britain, the art of comedy has seen numerous highpoints during the last decade, the majority of which have come from writers & comedians working in television. Alongside Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (The Office, Extras), Armando Iannucci, creator of the celebrated series The Thick of It (2005-2009), is a central figure of this renaissance. The bite and precision of his political satire on the later Blair years is unparalleled, as is the cast that he brought together on this occasion.

 

Expanding on the television series and employing some of the same characters, Iannucci also directed a feature film: In the Loop premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and became a surprise hit with audiences and critics in the U.S. – including comparisons to Dr. Strangelove in relation to its topical humor and verbal wit. In the Loop draws a picture of Anglo-American relations on the eve of the Iraq war and the world of the respective "courtiers" of the political-media complex. In the midst of all the comedy, a sort of media-horror film rears its head: in an era of continuous "spin," language and information have become the weapons of evil.

 

Shot vérité-style and partially improvised, the film relies on Iannucci's outstanding team of actors, two of which shall be spotlighted here: Peter Capaldi, a veteran of the TV series, returns as the "demon-eyed and ninja-tongued" (Melissa Anderson) spin-doctor of the British prime minister; and James Gandolfini, who gives us the portrait of a skeptical U.S. general – a hybrid between Tony Soprano and Colin Powell.