Four Lions Press Archive: Post British reviews/interviews etc here

[JPA]

The Daily Mail's Christopher Tookey (he of the 'evil' Kick Ass review) gives it two stars:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-1274097/Four-Lions-Its-roaring-success.html

Morris and his two co-writers, Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain from In The Loop, are also undone by a desire not to offend the religious.

In the end, Morris's attempts to explore the boundaries of humour is exploded by a lethal combination of furtive political correctness and transparently terrible taste.

Sigh. 'Won't somebody pleeeease stick it to the fucking muslims?'

[JPA]

The fuss has started:

Four Lions film boycott urged by 7/7 families

This article has been updated now.

[Glebe]

I trust people are aware that there's an interview with Morris in Empire?

[Paaaaul]

Kayvan Novak on this week's Hawksbee & Jacobs podcast from Talksport

http://utv.vo.llnwd.net/o16/talkSPORT/talkSPORT-20100507-1927.mp3

[Neil]

Many thanks to everyone who's rippin'

Fake parties, wet blouses and rivers of milk: life on the Four Lions setChris Morris's hot-potato comedy about a gang of bumbling jihadists opens today in the UK. One of its stars, Nigel Lindsay, explains what happened when the cameras were off and defends his director against charges of Islamaphobia

Get a look at that Bombay mix! ... Nigel Lindsay, left, as Barry in Four Lions, alongside Kayvan Novak as Waj and Arsher Ali as Hassan

As titles go, Four Lions still sounds weird to me. On set we referred to it as "Boilerhouse", though we knew it would never end up as that. During rehearsal, we had to hand in our pages to be shredded at the end of each day, and instead of call sheets, we received party invitations, complete with drawings of balloons: "You are invited to Becky's 21st; wasteground behind Deepcar sewage works, Tuesday, 6:30am. Bring a bottle."

I suspect all the secrecy was down to Chris. Given the media storm that usually surrounds anything he's involved in, it would have been difficult to shoot if we'd advertised our presence. Add to that the controversial subject matter, and erring on the side of paranoia seems understandable. When anyone outside the project asked me what we were filming, I told them it was a commercial for Bombay mix.

I'd worked with Chris before, on Brass Eye, in which I'd made a brief appearance as a catamite with learning difficulties. I'd like to say that when he told me it was to be a comedy about suicide bombers, I wasn't the least bit scared. But that would be a lie. You just have to place your faith in him. And he more than repays you. He doesn't tackle subjects on a whim; three years research went into this film. Riz Ahmed, who plays Omar, is a practising Muslim and told me Chris knew more about his religion than he did himself. So when Chris told me the film was not about ridiculing religion, I knew he meant it.

It annoys me when he's portrayed in some parts of the media as a wild-eyed, maverick nihilist. I think he's an extraordinary man. He'd work 12 hour days, then scout new sites until dark with an exhausted location manager. He inspires such loyalty that if he asks you to jump into a freezing river you look for the really deep bit.

We had a script, but it was likely as not to be torn up on the day. We'd improvise with the scene we'd learnt, with Chris shouting out lines at us during takes. Many scenes were abandoned due to hysteria. I remember one in particular where Waj (played by Kayvan Novak) and my character, Barry, were having a philosophical discussion about paradise, with Chris behind the camera urging us to talk about "rivers of milk".

One night, towards the end of the shoot, I was kneeling on a woman's blouse on a bridge above the M1 with Chris 200 yards away on a walkie-talkie, telling me when to pray. As passing lorries hooted derisively and the icy rain poured into my trousers, I found myself offering up a prayer for real. Mostly to stop the pain in my left knee, but also to offer thanks for the past six weeks. Jobs like this don't come around that often.

[Paaaaul]

A slightly horribly out-of-focus review from yesterday's Eastern Daily Press

http://i43.tinypic.com/15i5jld.jpg

[Dark Poet]

Nicky "Cunt" Campbell .

Maybe I'm a lone voice but I don't understand the hatred towards Campbell.  He's an excellent presenter and marshalled this phone-in in his usually accomplished way (not that I listen to it very often).

[Neil]

I'm sure Paaaaul is referencing his fondness for dropping the C bomb. 

[Paaaaul]

Yep

http://radiofail.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/nicky-campbells-famous-fail/

http://radiofail.wordpress.com/2010/04/02/another-nicky-campbell-c-word-fail/

He loves those Kent hunters.

[actwithoutwords]

Disappointing review yesterday in the Irish Times. More worthy than funny is surely the last thing this film is?

Three stars

AS THE first feature film from Chris Morris bungled its way across the world's film festivals, the air was alive with the noise of critics and punters straining – aching, striving, busting – to adore the blasted thing.

Fair enough. Over the past 20 years, the reclusive writer and director has developed a deserved reputation as Britain's most astringent satirist. With work such as The Day Today , that penetrating evisceration of TV news, and Brass Eye , the show that got Phil Collins to advocate "Nonce Sense", Morris has demonstrated a singular ability to combine hilarity with nauseous unease. In addition, Armando Iannucci, his collaborator on The Day Today , had just had a famous success with In the Loop. The premise for Four Lions seemed characteristically transgressive: a knockabout comedy about bumbling Islamicist suicide bombers. Let the Morris dancing begin.

The preceding paragraphs do read like the preamble to the announcement of a raging catastrophe. Four Lions is not that. If the great man had released the film under a pseudonym (which sounds like something he'd do) it would, no doubt, be hailed as a promising, reasonably amusing debut from a satirist in "the tradition of Chris Morris".

None of which can distract from the fact that – for all the fans' straining, striving and busting – Four Lions seems overextended, underdeveloped and, worst of all, occasionally a wee bit cosy.

The inspiration for Four Lions seems to have been the videos released by the perpetrators of the London tube bombings. Despite the unhinged belligerence of their language, the jihadists appeared depressingly normal, notably lacking in exoticism and, most significantly, unmistakably English (or, more precisely, unmistakably northern).

With that in his mind, Morris offers us four vaguely disaffected Muslim extremists from Sheffield.

Barry (Nigel Lindsay), the most bellicose, is, predictably enough, a convert to Islam, and his deranged rants seem like desperate exercises in compensation. Omar (Riz Ahmed) and Waj (Kayvan Novak) demonstrate the courage behind their own convictions by travelling to a terrorist training camp in Pakistan, but rapidly discover that their incompetence exceeds their intemperance. Fessal (Adeel Akhtar), the dumbest of the bunch, disguises himself as a woman by placing a hand over his beard and believes that crows can be trained to deliver explosives.

After a great deal of messing about, the gang decides to blow itself up while mingling with the runners at the London marathon.

The film does deliver more than enough broad comic set-pieces. Omar and Waj's misadventures with bazookas are absolutely hilarious, even if they could have appeared unaltered in a Norman Wisdom film, and Barry's incompetent attempts to grapple with Islamic theology showcase Morris's gift for deflating pomposity.

Sadly, the comic tone and satirical purpose are established within 20 minutes and, with no place else to go, the film settles into a steady, not disagreeable ramble towards a conflagration that is only half as shocking as it should be.

There are certainly unsettling moments in Four Lions : the acquiescence of one bomber's wife is particularly chilling. But, despite its grim subject matter, the film rarely seems properly outrageous. Morris has mentioned Dad's Army as an influence. In that series, however, the Home Guard platoon was not composed entirely of idiots. (Think of crafty Walker, cultured Wilson and canny Fraser.) The equivalent division in this film comprises four versions of Private Pike. They are too buffoonish to fear or pity. They are too unthreatening to stand in for what is still a genuine hazard.

For all that, Morris, working with co-writers Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, is to be praised for showing some genuine bravery. The standard liberal approach to such material is to balance criticism of Islamicist radicalism with a treatment of the discriminatory conditions that supposedly generate such responses from excluded youth. There's none of that mollycoddling here. The film allows the police to be incompetent, but focuses almost all its fire on the absurdities of fundamentalism, and of Muslim extremism in particular.

So, Four Lions exhibits integrity and guts. It's such a shame it's not a little bit funnier.

[Dark Poet]

Lukewarm review (3 stars) from The Big Issue as well.  I kicked a tramp after reading that.

[An tSaoi]

Peter Whittle has published his review, and it's the same sort of wilfilly ignorant, point-missing guff as on The Review Show.

Christ, he really is a twat. He hasn't even done his research, "Morris, who ran the gauntlet of tabloid horror when he famously spoofed the hysteria surrounding paedophilia on his TV show Brass Eye in the 1990s..."  It was 2001.

[Neil]

Still catching up on the day I was away from the puter, but there's another bunch of stuff added to the article section. Got a few planned changes to the code for that section too, which will add referring url's and some other features.

Twitter response to Four Lions has been almost overwhelmingly positive, I've saved a bunch of people's reactions upon seeing it last night/today, and will post those later.

[chocky909]

I'll just double post my recording of last night's Q&A in here. I suppose now it's been released, the British Screening thread will sink fairly quickly.

INTRO

Q&A

[actwithoutwords]

It was very interesting to read the original character summaries again Neil, thanks. I remember reading them and my heart sinking a bit. Amazing really to see the transformation from those summaries into the superbly drawn characters in the actual film.

I would be really interested to read again some of the various threads we had on the project over the last few years Neil, if you think you could find them? (I presume you have access to the site search engine?) Or someone better at searching than me anyway.
This is the more recent one, started in September 2008: http://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,19301.0.html

[Neil]

I would be really interested to read again some of the various threads we had on the project over the last few years Neil, if you think you could find them? (I presume you have access to the site search engine?) Or someone better at searching than me anyway.

I've been tagging them with Four Lions as I come across them, so use this tag for those ones I've found so far.

[Neil]

Couple of luke-warm reviews so far in the Sunday papers:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/may/09/four-lions-film-review


http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/film_reviews/article7117295.ece

[jutl]

A reference here:

BBC News - The Blackburn Resistance: jihadists or jokers?

The Blackburn Resistance: jihadists or jokers?

^{Helen Grady
BBC Radio 5 live, Donal MacIntyre Show}

"We were the A-Team generation. We grew up watching The A-Team - and Rambo of course."

As a little boy growing up in Blackburn, Ilyas Iqbal dreamed of becoming Mr T.

But now, at the age of 23, he says his passion for action films has led to his conviction for terror offences.

In March this year, Ilyas was prosecuted along with his brother, Abbas Iqbal, and his best friend, Mohammad Ali Ahmad.

The three were accused of forming a terror cell known as The Blackburn Resistance.
" If you watched that film Four Lions - that was us. Except that we weren't doing any of the real-life stuff "

But they say they were guilty of nothing more than having a laugh, comparing themselves with characters in Chris Morris' film, Four Lions.

"All we were doing is messing around," Ilyas Iqbal told BBC Radio 5 Live's Donal MacIntyre programme.

Mr Ahmad, a 26-year-old Muslim convert who changed his name from Paul Andrew Cryer in 2004, added: "If you watched that film Four Lions - that was us.

"Except that we weren't doing any of the real-life stuff - we were doing strictly the playing around stuff. Our definition of comedy is being blooper soldiers."

Terror video

A key piece of evidence in the Blackburn Resistance case was a home-made film described in court as "al-Qaeda propaganda destined to be distributed abroad".

The film featured Ilyas Iqbal and Mohammad Ali Ahmad crawling through a park in camouflage gear. It was introduced by a voice saying: "They are fighting against oppression, they are The Blackburn Resistance."

In the background a voice can be heard chanting: "I am the armour for those who believe in the unity of Allah. I am the fire against the aggressor."

The prosecutor in the case said the three men were "intoxicated by the evil of terrorism" as they prepared to join or carry out violent jihad.

He said the film was among material which Abbas Iqbal and an associate had intended to use to radicalise others.

All three men claimed that the film was a homage to their favourite action heroes.

During the court case, jurors were shown clips from the defendants' favourite films - including Black Hawk Down, which features Somali fighters defeating American forces.

Abbas Iqbal was jailed for a total of two years at Manchester Crown Court for committing acts of terrorism and disseminating terrorist publications.

The 24-year-old had stored weapons at the family home in Blackburn.

Prison sentence

Ilyas Iqbal was jailed for 18 months for possessing a document likely to be useful to a terrorist.

The brothers have already been released because of the amount of time they spent in custody awaiting trial.

Police found documents at Ilyas Iqbal's home which detailed weaknesses in the US military. They also found videos on his computer showing the beheading and an execution of soldiers and prisoners.

With regard to the video, Ilyas Iqbal says "we watched it, we didn't do it. Kids are watching these videos. You know why? It's not because they're terrorists. It's because they're curious".

Mr Ahmad was cleared of preparing for an act of terrorism and the trial Judge Andrew Gilbart QC said it was shocking he had spent 387 days in custody "for doing absolutely nothing".

Mr Ahmad, who spent part of his time on remand at Belmarsh high-security prison, insists that he and his friends were simply living out their boyhood fantasies.

"We wanted to make a video a bit like a Muslim A-Team," he said. "The Blackburn Resistance was nothing more than a title for that film.

"All this has done has given me a strong hatred for the so-called justice system. I have been a victim to this so-called justice system."

Police investigation

Det Ch Supt Tony Porter, of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said: "We presented the evidence to the court and it was up to the jury to decide whether there is sufficient evidence for a conviction."

Shuiab Khan, editor of Asian Image, a newspaper and website based in Blackburn, had some sympathy with the police.

He said: "When I saw their video, I thought straight away it was a joke. But it's very hard for the police to know for sure without investigating.

"In the present climate, to make a video like this is irresponsible.

"Whatever their reason for making the video, most people in Blackburn would say they were asking for trouble.

"If they had done it in 1998, nothing would have happened but to do it in the current climate was irresponsible."

Alyas Karmani, an imam and psychologist who works with Muslims convicted under the Terrorism Act, says that although groups like the Blackburn Resistance seem comical, they do pose problems for the authorities.

He said: "The majority of the young men I work with are similarly naïve - with a distorted view of the world, which feeds into delusions of grandeur. That can be a very dangerous mix because these people have the potential to be manipulated by charismatic individuals."

Although Mr Ahmad attended the premier of Four Lions, Ilyas Iqbal has not seen the film. Despite the fact that he makes constant references to Hollywood movies, he believes that cinema is forbidden in Islam.

He intends to appeal against his conviction and says his actions were misinterpreted.

"It was meant to be a joke and we had a good laugh about it - until we got to court and then it wasn't funny any more."

Listen to the full report on the Donal MacIntyre programme on BBC Radio 5 live on Sunday, 9 May at 19.30BST. Alternatively download the free
Contact the programme: donal@bbc.co.uk

[weirdbeard]

If it hasnt been mentioned before, Riz Ahmed on Four Lions on The Film Programme, tonight at 11 on Radio 4.

[Dark Poet]

Interesting discussion on Saturday Review on Radio 4.  Download the podcast here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/sr

[sirhenry]

I R Idiot.

[Ambient Sheep]

...Mr Ahmad attended the premier of Four Lions...

Ooooh!  Weird feeling to know I was probably in the same room as him.

[jutl]

Not sure which Four Lions thread to post this in, but it appears that life imitates art.

Buggerit! The BBC News site won't let me link to the article, just the video, so go to the ]BBC News site and follow the link to Jihad or Joke in the Features, Views and Analysis section.

See above :)

[Beep Cleep Chimney]

Here's Empire magazine's video interviews with Morris, Mark Herbert, Sam and Jesse and the cast.

http://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1033

WARNING: The interviewer's a bit of a dick.

[tisonlyme]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/may/09/four-lions-film-review
That is a link to the guardian review.It is basically a plot narrative with a few oh so clever references to other films.The pejorative use of "sitcom" should be an indicator of the man's understanding of comedy.

[An tSaoi]

Irish Independent - Four Lions Stars Talk Typecasting.
Also, Novak: Four Lions Not Political.
Edit: Same articles as The Times and The Belfast Telegraph, and probably half a dozen other papers. Bloody Press Association.

Hopefully these ones are original:
Irish Examiner - Four Lions Makes Comedy Hay From Suicide Bombers, 3/5.
entertainment.ie - Four Lions, 3/5.
Sunday Tribune - Bang Goes The Quiet Life.
New Statesman - Jihad For Dummies.

[Dark Poet]

The pejorative use of "sitcom" should be an indicator of the man's understanding of comedy.

Philip French is probably the finest newspaper film critic in the country - he has an acute understanding of comedy but maybe only in a cinematic context.  Of all the criticisms I've read (not funny enough, too offensive, not dark enough) the reasoning that it's too sitcomish is the most valid for me and I know that's not the thrust of the argument here although he teeters on it when he compares it unfavourably with Dr Strangelove, which is of course unfair for any number of reasons (the respective budgets for one).

[rodgers]

Four Lions got one out of five stars in yesterday's Financial Times.

Not that this is an indicator as such, but the trailer looks extremely iffy.

[An tSaoi]

We've heard it described as everything from fantastic to great to good to not-bad to okay to disappointing to not-great to poor to bad to awful.

[Paaaaul]

This will be essential listening once the podcast's up.
Just heard the start, but plenty of mentions of Four Lions

Donal MacIntyre Radio 5Live 09-05-10 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/macintyre

The Blackburn Resistance found notoriety when police discovered their home-made 'terror' videos, showing the three young Muslim men undertaking military-style training in a Blackburn park. Photographs of the group also emerged, where they posed in camouflage uniforms, with guns and knives.

Speaking exclusively to 5 live about their arrest and imprisonment, the Blackburn Resistance say they were victimised for their religion and say their home movies were nothing more than a joke, and they were simply paying homage to the action films of their hero Arnold Schwarzenegger. They say the police and courts unfairly labelled them terrorists because they are Muslim, however the discovery of extremist material in their home led to two members of the group being sent to prison.