Four Lions (www.the-usher.com)

"Rubber dinghy rapids bro."

For Omar (Ahmed), his life as a British Muslim in Sheffield was not what he wanted. Planning his own jihad with friends Waj (Novak), Fessal (Akhtar) and Barry (Lindsay), they start to gather the materials together that they will need to make a bomb after returning from a disastrous training camp in Pakistan. As their plan starts to come together, Omar becomes more and more determined to make a real statement for his cause but can the rest of his cell have the same conviction?

Writer, filmmaker and broadcaster Christopher Morris is no stranger to controversy but should he be lambasted or applauded for facing this head on?

Comedy is one of the hardest genres to get right and it is virtually impossible to create something that someone will not find unfunny or even offensive. Catering for a broad level of tastes and senses of humour is a minefield for any comedian or comedic writer to navigate but one British writer just loves to run at the mines head on. That man is Christopher Morris.

Best known as one of Britain’s best satirists on both Radio and Television, the move to the big screen was a natural progression. It was his spoof of current affairs and news programmes in ‘The Day Today’ and ‘Brass Eye’ that brought him to prominence and thrust him into the public eye. The shows became famous for mocking celebrities, showing a different version of the news and tackling many a taboo subject which many comedian wouldn’t dare go anywhere near. That all came to ahead when ‘Brass Eye’ caused moral outrage in 2001 when it covered pedophilia, with the media and politicians lambasting him for what they saw as ‘making fun of the victims’ of this terrible crime. With controversy following him wherever he went yet, Christopher Morris continued to pull no punches when he made the step to the big screen. His subject this time, terrorism.

When it comes to writing a film about four Muslims from Sheffield wanting to start their own jihad, Morris mixes humour, satire with an emotional undercurrent that makes this a comedy that will shock you but make you laugh out loud, all within a few minutes of watching. This is the story of Omar, Waj, Fessal and Barry, four disillusioned British Muslims who want their own jihad and one that will make just as big an impact as any attack that had gone before. The problem is that all of them are complete buffoons, seeing this as their duty but not really knowing why. With a said hatred of all things from the Capitalist Western World from their occupation of Afghanistan to Mini-Babybel cheese, they are driven men but their willingness to blow themselves up for the cause will be a difficult and problem filled journey. This is comedy that will have you laughing at storylines, plot devices and one-liners that you will feel that you shouldn’t be laughing at but you will chuckle all the same.

The performances are superb and make the film as funny as it is. Each of the performances from Riz Ahmed, Kayvan Novak, Nigel Lindsay, Adeel Akhtar and Arsher Ali make you believe that these men are totally committed to their cause but will have to go through a lot to complete it, making many mistakes along the way. From the misguiding trip for training in Pakistan, to picking targets and building the bombs to make their statement, you travel with these men on their journey.

‘Four Lions’ is another controversial piece of work from Christopher Morris but it is one that you will be laughing at as much as you are shocked. Brilliantly written and fantastically performed by a talented cast, this is satire at its very best and one that you will be talking about for a very long time.

Lost Boys documentary
Bradford Film Festival Premier featurette
Mo Ali Interview
Deleted Scenes

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2010