User Reviews

Like Charlie Chaplin's Hitler, Chris Morris' 'Four Lions' shows that no subject can escape comic scrutiny; humour always seems to find the ability to expose the ridiculous in otherwise appalling situations. This satirical black comedy vents its disgust at the pseudo-morality of suicide bombing, whilst managing to portray its terrorists with an affection that allows the audience an unexpected emotional attachment with these supposed figures of violence.

The film follows a terrorist cell of blundering, inept, and impossibly stupid would-be suicide bombers on their quest towards martyrdom – we follow them failing miserably in a Pakistan training camp, trying to run through sheep fields whilst carrying bags of explosives, attaching bombs to crows, all the time creating a chaotic 'blooper' reel of attempted martyrdom videos. These suicide bombers are not the feared assassins of popular imagination, but absurd and easily led dupes who encourage laughter and ridicule – and significantly, in the end, pity.

The comedy of 'Four Lions' lies in the power of its bathos: the film reduces the dreaded spectre of suicide bombing to a ludicrous pageant of ineptitude. It's a film with fast laughs and dim wit in abundance, an absurd 'How Not-To Guide' to martyrdom.

However, the audience cannot help but feel pity for the characters as their plot reaches its climax. There is a sad inevitability to the group's last moments together; despite the horror of what the bombers are planning, the audience has been lulled into sympathising with their situation. The sadness of the film comes with the audience's realisation that these characters are regular, likable, funny, naive people – they are not monsters in themselves, but made monstrous by their susceptibility to absurd, immoral teachings.

The lead character Omar's interactions with his wife and young son are painful in their twisted depiction of the ideal family unit. At one point Omar (played by Riz Ahmed) tells his son a bedtime story about 'Simba's Jihad'. It is a scene that is touching, funny and uncomfortable all at once, a reflection of our responses to the film as a whole.

'Four Lions' is provocative in its comic parody of an emotional subject, but there is never any sense that it wishes to be deliberately inflammatory. Instead, the story is told with warmth and sharp humour; it offers us a fine concoction of derision and sympathy, pulling at our affections whilst cutting the terrifying down to the clownish.

James Gill ------ Find more reviews, news and previews at www.singleadmission.co.uk

"What are we going to do tonight, Brain?" "Same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world!" Is it wrong of me to compare "Four Lions" to the WB animated series "Pinky and the Brain"? I don't think so. This film is filled with side-splitting laughter and satirical takes on suicide-bombers plotting one ridiculous terrorist attempt after another even more ridiculous terrorist attempt. Clone Pinky two more times, convert the four of them to Muslim extremists and place them in London in today's world, and you've got Omar and his fellow anarchists trying to teach the world a lesson.

Their incompetence is taken to the same extremes as their beliefs. Their possible targets include expletive-described Disney theme parks, their own Mosque, and using such genius methods as strapping a bomb to a crow, or to themselves as they are running around a field. You will laugh until you cry.

Laughs aside, it takes a special kind of film to create four protagonists out of inept suicide-bombers and emotionally connect you. And we haven't even touched the moxie that these filmmakers have to tackle such a subject. Comparisons to "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" and Monty Python are all valid here. Even if this story isn't your style, it's hard not to be impressed with how they pulled off "Four Lions".

In the UK, Chris Morris is famous for the very controversial "Brasseye" series, and he has taken that iconoclastic attitude to the big screen to help create this wonderful little film.

It's a crude yet intelligent satire on a group of young men who want to be martyrs for the Islamic Al-Qaeda in the UK. Rather than portray them as dark shadowy men, they are really just everyday bumblers and naive men. The frightening aspect is that despite the humour, they are aiming to mass murder which always is behind the scenes.

The film uses humour to demystify the self-styled jihadists and take away any sort of menacing notoriety and show them as the frightening bunglers that they are. The fear is when one group actually manages to carry out what they set out to do.

This film is worth watching. You will be rolling with laughter, but you will end the film with many thoughts on the questions raised also. It's simply another great bit of political satire, and I recommend it highly.

I'm no easy viewer and too often do I find myself being bored while watching a movie, or just barely interested.

I wasn't expecting much from this one and after a quick reading of the synopsis, I just thought "say whaat ?". As a reminder you might check again the IMDb summary and try to picture it seriously, you would expect some "sofa talking action" - as a friend would describe movies that have more dialogs than action scenes.

Long story short : that is, without any doubts, the most stupidly funny movie I've seen this year and if you haven't seen it already ... just go (Ok to be honest, I would also put Revenge of the Fallen even if its last year, the level of stupidity is clearly enough for a couple of years).

Whatever you are looking in a movie this one will deliver, it is filled with dumb-touching characters despite their "mission" as terrorists. The acting is not only great as a comedy but just strait out great, any one in the movie have something special and memorable.

Hell, you could even try to get a social commentary out of it but that'd be a long stretch, it's meant to be a comedy with a soul not just the usual "a few scenes funny and forget me next week" kind of movie.

I was really pleased to find this gem completely by chance and hope you will too as this is how comedy films are meant to be.

Home grown Asian suicide bombers are not an obvious choice for Comedy. But Director Chris Morris makes a surprisingly good job of it in a work which is skilfully written and performed. The best humour has a ring of truth about it. And so it is true here. The plot moves from satire, to slapstick to straight forwards storytelling, and back, at quite a pace leaving the audience to make its own mind up about whether certain bits are intended to be funny, or just turn out that way. That ambiguity is probably the film's strongest suit.

A strong cast of Jihadists struggle to get a team together, struggle to get to a Training Camp in Pakistan from which they are sent home in disgrace, indeed they struggle to complete any task successfully. Yet they are not portrayed as buffoons. Never before has Muslim culture been lampooned like this, yet Morris shows it in such a way that they are Everyman jokes and should not cause offence to anyone.

The fact that this is low budget works to its advantage. The script and acting win and the documentary style filming gives it an authenticity which is vital for the humour to prosper. Riz Ahmed stars as Chief Jihadist Omar, but Nigel Lindsay steals the show as a Caucasian Muslim convert. Preeya Kalidas has a frustrating, underwritten role as Omar's wife. A nurse, and a mother we never really get her insight into the prospect of her husband, and father of her son, embracing martyrdom, even though she pokes fun at an over zealous cleric when he visits their home.

At 100 minutes, the film ends when it needs to, in dramatic and compelling style and does not out stay its welcome. For some this will not be funny enough, for others it will simply be in poor taste. But we should be proud that this sort of comedy simply could not be made in America, and is the first cinematic attempt to deal with a relatively new, and disturbing, social phenomena.

The film can be approached from two angles; as a comedy and as an important contemporary cultural text. As a comedy it succeeded beyond expectations. Part of the pleasure surely came from the spectacle of the event; a sold out screening with cast and crew present along with regional cultural references that resonated infectiously with many in the audience, but this can take nothing away from the many levels of comedy at work within this film. There were elements of overacted screwball comedy; there were underplayed facial expressions and reactions that added a wealth of character and personality to the comedy; further still, there were elaborately constructed situational set pieces. All these elements along with explosively dynamic dialogue that was well delivered combined to send the audience into tears of laughter.

In a separate issue to the comedy there was the cultural commentary, which is always going to draw attention when it is such a taboo subject as Jihad: a word that is often avoided at all costs. The film unapologetically offers a plethora of questions around motivation, meaning and justification which it never falls into the trap of giving patronizing, melodramatic answers to nor does it preach any solutions.

The many characters were all utilised to give different points of views and different perspectives; the main protagonist Omar (Riz Ahmed) was fully fleshed out, with the other characters used to offer differing ideas and obviously the above mentioned comic relief. Omar's brother for instance had such a minor part but raises questions around what he considers a true following of Islam, which he promotes as peaceful, but is then exposed as intrinsically sexist due to the way he practically locks his wife in a cupboard. That being said, Islam itself was to a large extent sidelined and the film much more overtly dealt with identification and senses of belonging for a demographic that has partial but not complete grips on the many angles of where its identity is created; this includes Barry (Nigel Lindsay), the Caucasian convert amongst the group.

Four Lions is easily funny enough to reach a very wide audience, where viewers will be left without answers and therefore forced to discuss these issues, which are too often brushed under the proverbial rug.

twitter - @destroyapathy

With The Day Today and its more acerbic follow-up Brasseye, supreme satirist Chris Morris made a mockery of the madness of the popular media by saying what he saw. It was funny because it could have been true. With Four Lions, Morris's focus is no longer on the manipulator, but rather the manipulated. Yet by presenting this jihad suicide squad as a group of bumbling misfits, chugging along the road to apotheosis in a car fitted with dodgy "Jewish spark plugs", it's still about the madness – here, the madness of a cracked ideology believed in mostly because it's made up as it goes along.

This is not really a film about Islam, or even religious fundamentalism, but identity. Omar (an excellent Riz Ahmed) speaks fluently about the "Church of McDonald's" and Western imperialism, and yet he's at the centre of a comfortable, suburban, upper working class family unit. Hassan (Arsher Ali) is an awkward, gangly virgin with a bone to pick with his Media Studies teacher. Barry (Nigel Lindsay, who some might remember playing a terrorist of a different creed in HBO's Rome) is white.

For all their misadventures, there's a genuine tenderness and loyalty between these "soldiers". This is a side of Morris we've rarely seen before – an emotional spine that raises the film far above what could have resembled a series of sketches or, worse, a reel of better outtakes. Perhaps this is the film's greatest success: bringing its director out of the satirical shadows and into the comedy spotlight, and proving there's a heart to go with that clever head.

Chris Morris has never been one to shy away from subjects that others would call taboo or simply just wrong and that isn't going to change with his latest film 'Four Lions' the story of a group of wannabe suicide bombers. Not the most jovial of subjects I hear you cry, but how wrong could you be? For here we have not only a truly funny film but also a poignant one and one of the best British films of the last decade. Meticulous to detail Morris spent over five years researching the films central themes of terrorism and religion and a lifetime of studying human behaviour and it's only with this foundation that he, along with co writers Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong (Peep Show), could have made such a brilliant film. You will laugh and hard, then you will realise what it is you are laughing at take a breath and then laugh some more. In the same way that the recent American remake of Battlestar Galactica dealt in allegories of the war on terror, politics and human nature but just happened to be set in space 'Four Lions' just happens to be set in a terrorist cell and in his own admission Morris admitted that he wanted to explore group dynamics that could be found either in a football team, a club of sorts or the guys in this movie. It is so cleverly done that at no point is the film patronising or preachy it just makes you think about the absurd nature of how people think and what lengths they will go to for something they believe in. The film also contains some scenes of the gang spending normal time with their families, even discussing their plans with the children and it's in these scenes that we given over to the idea that they are ordinary people about to do something extraordinary. The cast play their roles, not only with great comic timing, but with an understanding of the subject matter that reflects in their performances. The script is so sharp that not only will you miss stuff on first viewing you will be quoting it for months to come. It is well shot and perfectly paced but let's not forget that this is satire of the highest order and in that there will be elements that might not appeal to all. But if you think you can stomach it then let me assure you that you will see one of the funniest films from one of Britain's most underrated and genuinely talented comedians. Rubber dingy rapids.

I can't think of anything less funny than terrorists or terrorism, except maybe Hitler, so beautifully satirized in "The Producers." While this isn't quite on that level, this is a pretty funny comedy about four Jihad losers in Britain trying to plant a bomb somewhere that will make a statement. You just know by watching them try to make a video that they have no chance of pulling anything off. They agree on nothing and their stupidity knows no bounds.

I actually watched this film because I am a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch. Well, he is in it, but it's a tiny part at the end of the film.

These guys can't decide where to strike - a mosque, the Internet, or where. After some disastrous tryouts, they decide on the London marathon. Given recent events, that was an interesting choice in 2010. Apparently that marathon is run in costume, or at least some people run it in costume, and since these guys have bombs under the costumes, they are huge, cumbersome things no one could ever really run in.

Seeing these morons as buffoons doesn't help much, but the characters are extremely funny. It ends on a somewhat shocking note.

I remember the first time I saw this film, thinking it was one of the funniest I had ever seen, and I haven't seen many that have made me laugh as much since. Chris Morris is known for black comedy and 'Four Lions' is certainly fantastically dark.

The plot, the characters, the dialogue - everything about the film is funny. The stupidity of the main characters combined with the absurdity of their plans make this a truly hilarious film and a great piece of entertainment.

'Four Lions' is a comedic gem. A rare naturally funny film that is guaranteed to make you laugh.

Chris Morris has had his fair share of approaching controversial subjects such as the brilliant Brass Eye. I so wanted this to be an hilarious film as it was a long time since I had really good laugh in the cinema. Here is another social commentary this time on terrorism and I was optimistic that this was going to be the laugh I was looking for even if the subject is controversial. The actual terrorists though are inept and have no real grasp of what they are trying to do.We follow them making plans and deciding that they want to strike the London Marathon. The question being asked all the time is can a film about suicide bombers ever be funny? Well the answer to that question in my view is yes because it is more about characters being so bad at something and presenting themselves in a bizarre sense. They are delivered in such an amusing manner that I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the sheer lunacy. In comedy itself being generally stupid and incompetent is something that in my view is extremely difficult to get right and can easily escalate to farce. In Four Lions though the acting is good enough and set up well enough that it doesn't feel like they are just dumping situations on screen and putting in random moments designed to gain comedic measure. One scene in particular when the group are forced to carry their bombing equipment on foot after their car breaks down. It has to be seen as it is just brilliant. In this the scenes are set up and the comedy is delivered very well. The humour can get quite dark and sick at times but not so much that it isn't funny nonetheless. I can understand why some people would shun this film and the humour is definitely not by all means universal but I would recommend it as it is a funny satire that you may enjoy. It is quite understandable if you don't though.

I gave this movie a go since it is well rated and had some funny ideas. I tried to get into it but barely had a couple of laughs. By the time we got half an hour through I turned it off since it just wasn't working.

Four Lions may be a black comedy, but the subject matter is anything but, dealing with the real threat of self radicalized men who take it upon themselves to wage what they deem is a holy war against the infidels of their religion, capitalism and Western ideals, about the men who are frighteningly misguided in their beliefs which we may find absurd, but they holding it very dearly to their hearts, nevermind if it's actually the blind leading the blind.

Co-written and directed by Christopher Morris, the film follows the journey of a few friends and acquaintances brought together by Barry (Nigel Lindsay), a self-styled firebrand convert and Omar (Riz Ahmed) the unofficial leader who assemble like minded radicals to take on what they felt is a path of righteousness and a fast track to heaven, nevermind if for narrative purposes his recruitment tactics is questionably risky at best (not to mention funny, I did say it was a comedy). It's almost like a satire on the 101 basics on how one transforms from all talk to all action, going on trips to Pakistan to meet up with mujahedins or holy warriors in order to learn the ropes in becoming soldiers and tested in battle, to the assembling of explosives, deciding on a target and then executing it, complete with the quintessential video recordings to explain the rationale behind the deeds.

It parodies many of what you've seen and read in the news, and while you may dismiss it as making light of dead serious situations, here's where its brilliance emerged. From within the comedy that come fast and furious that you find yourself inevitably laughing at the clueless wannabes, there are moments of poignancy especially when you realize that the wannabes have gone way past the point of no return, and with the wheels of destruction set in motion, there's no turning back really. In a way it reflects upon how detection of the clandestine activities may sometimes be stranger than fiction, but it is usually missed opportunities, especially with the countless of screw ups that go undetected, that serve as the real threat to society with prejudices and discrimination at play.

Ultimately those who truly suffer are friends and especially family, and the story does not mince that impact even though most are centered around the closing credits in an epilogue. Family isn't far behind especially when time got devoted to focus on the ringleader's, that here's a man willing to sacrifice what's worldly for a calling so perceived higher than self and for the greater good. Not only those on the other side of the law get put in a spotlight, but how the authorities and politicians behave got their fair share of critique, though in a fashion of less being more.

Four Lions adopted the shaky cam throughout which in a way tried to mirror a documentary, and to some this may be tiring to watch since the camera bounces around and doesn't stay still for the most parts. This is perhaps the only aspect of the film that I disliked, though you'll soon find yourself tickled if you pay close attention to the dialogue which were thoroughly filled with wickedly funny lines. The trailer may have accidentally revealed the funnier, slapstick aspects of the film, but its wit was firmly found in the spoken words.

Riz Ahmed is as charismatic a ringleader as he can be, and Kayvan Novak plays Waj his less than intelligent friend and blind follower with a sense of sensitivity that will tug at your heart when Omar realizes what he had done, and you'll definitely feel something for the Waj character when you ponder over how many real world counterparts who exist in the real world, being all too trusting with their leaders in being lambs laid out for slaughter, conned with an ideal of a promise. Adeel Akhtar's Faisal the bomb maker will nearly always make you laugh at his naivety and sheer stupidity, being one of the characters that draw the most laughs besides Waj.

It's easy to lapse into stereotypes and branding a message of hate, but Four Lions is nothing of that sort. What it does is to make one sit up and take notice of the troubles that are plaguing our modern day society, where there are those who do not feel inclusive, and decide to take it upon themselves to address their grievances through the use of violence. It's seriousness hidden under the guise of comedy, and I dare say you'll get more out of this film than from whatever else that's screening this week. Highly recommended!

Everything British humor should take pride in, it's dark, it's offensive, it's thought provoking, and it's unapologetic.

4 Lions is an excellent well thought out film with a great pace, very funny, and very thoughtful.

After watching the film I wondered at some of the choices Morris had made concerning the depth of the characters in the film and their motivation. On reflection I could see the extremely clever and thoughtful way that he had written the script. This film is a fantastic means of attacking the media's paniced frenzy regarding Muslim extremist's bomb attacks.

I went to this film with no more knowledge then 'it's a black comedy about Muslim extremist bombers in Britain written and directed by Chris Morris'. Although I have followed Chris Morris' work throughout his television career. I didn't know what to expect at all - whether it would work or not. Some friends who said they had seen the trailer for it at the cinema said it didn't look that good. It proved to be very good.

It entertains very well and holds your attention. But the depth of the film is that after it you have plenty of thoughts on the subject matter and they all encourage an open minded re-exploring of thoughts on the Muslim communities in Britain and the media's frenzy around terrorism and Muslim communities in Britain.

There are specific parts of the film which are so clever in how they raise questions that I'd love to talk about them but I'd spoil the film. I think that it's best to go see the film and enjoy it as great entertainment. On the way out of the cinema all the issues involved will be real food for thought.

One of the thoughts I had after leaving was that Chris Morris had perhaps written this with the first audience in his mind as British Muslims and not in any patronising or preaching way, but further thought made me believe the film was for all English people specifically. Undoubtedly this film can work internationally and is well worth watching if you are from some other country. But it was great that Morris had made no concessions to this so he could tell the story the way he wanted to.

Other nationalities watching the film may well have trouble with some of the dialogue but you'll be OK. Watch this film, it's undoubtedly the most important film to come out of the UK for a very long time, and what's more it's bloody good entertainment.

Brits are famous for their dark (tragi)-comedies, containing deaths and unhappy endings, but they usually depict traditional British or modern metropolitan life - but still based on "European" values. Four Lions emanates totally from Islamic culture and focuses on its nasty offshoot - terrorist jihad.

I am not familiar with the topic - only through mass media - as Estonia has some thousands Muslims only and jihad views are probably hold by dozens of them, but I still feel uneasy to laugh at ignorance and hurting people; funerals and like are a different issue for me. The plot was not evenly interesting, at times slow and with bulked out jokes, and scenes towards the ending began to develop a bit too fast. True, it has some twisted originality and those more familiar with Muslim immigrants are probably able to squeeze out more and observe funny parallels closely. But even I had my moments of giggle and I can't say that I got bored. The ending could have had more bright moments though.

As for the cast, Riz Ahmed – Omar, Kayvan Novak – Waj and Nigel Lindsay – Barry were most catchy (well, why did Benedict Cumberbatch have a small and stupid role only?), but I can't remember I have seen them before, so there was no joy of recognition and possibility to compare.

All in all, a decent dark comedy, but personally I know a couple of people only I would dare to recommend to watch it...

This is the sort of film at first glance you believe shouldn't work. Just looking at what it's meant to be, a parody/comedy about British Muslim terrorists. My first thoughts were 'Too Soon?'. But then I realised this is just a mockery on something that has had a big impact on us all.

The film is based around a group of Jihadists that are planning to cause a terror attack on Britain but the group leading this attack is just full of oddballs which gives for great slapstick comedy and some memorable quotes that served the film well.

Christopher Morris has done himself good with this film and the final ten minutes were really an eye-opener to me. I recommend that this film should be seen by people who won't take this film seriously, it's a gimmick. That's the only reason the film's story worked, if it wasn't funny the film raters wouldn't have let this film be shown. So take the 100 minutes or so to sit down and enjoy laughter all the way through.

9/10

A rather brave film in many ways taking on such a topic and in a satirical way perhaps highlighting the tragedy involved when naive young Muslim men are misled into taking action to become martyrs in the name of their religion resulting in unexpected outcomes. Despite their bumbling attempts to do harm to society you can't help but become involved in the lives of these young men as they are undeniably like-able as played by the actors. The scenes towards the end of the film at the Marathon were quite hilarious and ridiculous to boot.Also their mis-adventures in Pakistan were funny. But there is an underlying message here about how young men can be recruited to jihad because of a misplaced faith in those who advocate such acts in the name of their religion. All of the actors I thought performed well especially Riz and I left the theater thinking how the lives of young men are exploited and that perhaps in the end they are not all that different from the rest of us were we to find ourselves facing similar circumstances.

I have wanted to see this one for some time, the DVD has been lurking in the 'To Watch' pile too long and it's time has come today. I was intrigued by this one partly because I live in the north of England, not too far from where it is set and I live in a town that has quite a large Muslim population. For the record, I subscribe to no religion myself, but can I understand how many people are drawn to them. It's a very remarkable film with an interesting mix of comedy and drama set in the Muslim community city of Sheffield. I'll give you my thoughts after this brief summary (summary haters, and those that don't wish to know about the plot, please move the explosives to the safe house while I write the next paragraph).

A bunch of radical Muslims are preparing to martyr themselves for their faith. They are; Omar, Barry, Waj and Faisal. The only problem is, they are quite stupid and don't seem to be able to get it together. To this end, Omar and Waj go off to a training camp in Pakistan, leaving Barry and Faisal to hold the fort back home. While they are away, Barry, who is very vocal about 'the cause' recruits another member of the team, Hassan. On their return, Omar and Waj tell the others they have the go-ahead. They make some explosives which prove quite effective in blowing up crows, as Faisal finds out. After one of their number is killed in an accident, and much debate, they decide on a target . They now have to put their words into action, but will things go according to plan? I'll leave my summary here, don't want to give it all away.

Although it was made on a small budget, I thought this was a very well made film with an excellent script and some really good performances. Riz Ahmed was excellent as Omar, as was Nigel Lindsay as Barry. I also thought Kayvan Novak played the part of the naive Waj very well and Adeel Akhtar as Faisal and Arsher Ali as Hassan were also very good. Also a mention for Preeya Kalidas as Sofia, Omar's wife.

There are many funny moments in this film and much of that is down to an excellent script by Christopher Morris, Simon Blackwell, Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong and the performances from the entire cast. I also found the film very touching, there were moments of real tenderness between Omar and his wife and great friendship amongst the group. Over all, it's a very funny film that deals with quite a tricky subject in a very interesting way. It makes the terrorists look like idiots while at the same time showing that they are only human. Would I watch it again?… Yes! Recommended.

My Score: 7.8/10

FOUR LIONS

This film is a black comedy about a group of terrorists in England that are planning to suicide bomb London. The problem is, they have no idea what they are doing.

This film was funny. It was very entertaining watching these guys argue whether to bomb Boots or a mosque.

The training they go through and the things they do to set up their terror attack is just pure comedy. These guys are idiots and have no clue what they are doing. The sad thing is they are still dangerous.

Riz Ahmed, Kayvan Novak, Nigel Lindsay & Adeel Akhtar star in this movie. The acting was really good. They were all very convincing and funny. I really like Adeel Akhtar. I think he has such a funny face. He is one of my favourite characters in the TV comedy Trollied and he was as funny in this. Kayvan Novak was also really funny in this. He played a complete dimwit. It was like he could not think for himself. He even had one of my favourite lines in the movie (see the end of the review for quote). I laughed so much. The only problem I would say that I had with this movie was that sometimes they were talking so fast that I struggled to understand what they said. But I did find it funny when they started talking in English and mid sentence went into Indian.

Even though the film is a comedy, there were some very sad moments. There is a bit of drama and that is not nice in places. But if you are making a film about terrorism and suicide bombers, you have to expect the drama element. In a way you grow to like some of these guys even though you know what they are planning is wrong. I completely disagreed with their actions and their thoughts, but as the film went on there were a few characters that were really likable.

This film is funny, sad and in some places disturbing.

I will give it 7 out of 10.

"I'm not confused brother! I just took picture of my face, and it's deffo not my confused face."

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People familiar with Chris Morris' early work, from Jam to Brass Eye, will not be surprised to hear that his feature debut is a darker than black comedy focusing on the madness of humanity. However, few could have predicted the film would be quite as brave as this; following a group of radicalised Jihadi terrorists (from Sheffield) as they attempt to blow themselves up for Islam.

Shot in an almost documentary/fly-on-the-wall style that recalls the excellent BBC2 comedy The Thick of It, Four Lions feels very personal, as we spend time with these confused individuals and, yes, begin to like them. Omar is the most identifiable character out of the five would-be terrorists, which is ironic because he is also the most driven to commit the terrible act. As the film progress, we follow Omar and his ever trusting but dim-witted friend Waj, as they go to Pakistan to make a name for themselves in a terrorist training camp (this, it has to be said, quite literally backfires). We also witness the volatile Barry, a convert to Islam, as he attempts to train the timid Faisal and newcomer Hassan. While Barry is certainly no genius, we do at times enjoy his exasperation as Faisal, a man who trains crows to be bombers, buys hundreds of bottles of bleach from the local corner shop, or the nervous Hassan raps about his jihad much to everyone else's confusion.

Despite the comedy element of Four Lions, it is still a film that understands, better than any other terrorist themed movie, what drives these people to do what they do. While bigger, perhaps more critically acclaimed- films are happy to take George Bush's insightful view on what motivates a fundamentalist (that they are all friends of Satan), Four Lions offers us something that may seem strange but is ultimately rewarding; it humanises them.

Now, it must be emphasised that by humanising the Terrorists, Chris Morris has not only made them all the more terrifying but also celebrates that one aspect of humanity that each and every one of us share, no matter what creed or culture we come from: stupidity. During the three years Chris Morris spent researching the project, he came across countless true stories that are so absurd and mind-numbingly dumb that they could easily have been in the film. The fact that the Terrorists are from Britain has a particular poignancy; the film deals with the issue that these people aren't just men in masks, they're British, as Morris says "They're part of the landscape", it's not as simple as black and white, or good and evil.

Omar has a loving wife and an awed, bright eyed little boy, a family that he loves and who support his war on the Western world. These moments of tenderness and humanity only showcase how confused and misled Omar and his friends are. By the end of the film there are moments of real tragedy, albeit with a kind of gallows humour, as the group begin to realise just how confused they really are about they're ideals, about right and wrong and the reasons for why they do what they do. Four Lions is a film that parodies terrorism in the same way Dads Army parodies the Nazis, in a kind of fairy tale moral; we need to laugh at the terror to vanquish it. But in creating a comedy that actually understands the humanity and stupidity in Terrorism, Chris Morris has made a film that is as meaningful as it is funny.

Truly a dark comedy and done quite brilliantly as well! I'd like to give it a 6.5 to be more exact but just saw this and I'm not disappointed that I did. Another reviewer likened the comedy to slapstick but I wouldn't lower it to such a level. It's really just wonderfully absurd. And even when you see something coming, you'll marvel at how you can laugh at such things.

We can go into why it doesn't get a higher score from me, but... well, boy oh boy, what they were able to do in this film was just remarkable. You get the really messed up laughs, but they manage to twist the knife as well while pulling it out. What it leaves you with is... well, not in a pretty place.

A fine film; and the short dramatic bits will leave a stinging taste in your mouth while you leave the theater with a smile on your face.

We need more movies like this.

Allow me to begin with the obvious, which some people seem to be unaware of. First of all, this was directed by Chris Morris, however he shares writing credit with 3 other people. Knowing the quality of Morris' other projects, this indicates that he did not have as big a role writing this as he did with all of his other projects. The film is wildly unfunny, chronically boring and hits absolutely no real point throughout it's overly long runtime.

A rough synopsis is, a rag-tag group of British Jihadists begin to plan a terrorist attack. Sadly, as per usual in these kinds of comedies, only one has any brains, and the rest are slapstick comedy fodder. There's the overly aggressive one, the overly stupid one, and the overly stupid sidekick. None of the are fleshed out to any great degree, as you don't really need it. They spend the entire time being the butt of unfunny jokes about stupid people. It is obvious stuff, and brought forth no laughter at all.

The worst part is, this was advertised as being a relatively brave subject, having a laugh at the expense of terror attacks. But the laughs aren't at the terrorists, more often than not it is seemingly some kind of in-joke with the culture itself. I was in a cinema with a fairly diverse crowd, and I noticed that none of the white people, myself and friends included, were laughing particularly hard, if at all. The West Asian contingent however? Ending themselves. I have no idea how this was missed during the trailers, but this isn't a film making fun of terrorists, it's a film which ignores the subject matter, and throws out jokes that are only aimed for a specific section of the audience, none of whom were warned prior.

I didn't walk out, but my two friends did. I didn't on principle, but were it not for that principle, and "giving it one last chance" about 30 times, I would have followed suit. There were family scenes that bordered on sickening, as one of the terrorists has "touching" conversations with his family, about mass murder. They weren't funny to anyone, nor were they meant to be. It was just crass stupidity. I cannot emphasise how much this film is both overrated and unfunny. Avoid if you love Chris Morris, or if you love comedy. Neither interest will be fulfilled with this film.