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Four lions - Riz Ahmed, Arsher Ali, Nigel Lindsay, Christopher Morris

Threat advisory: High - High risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

Chris Morris' Four lions is a funny, thrilling comedy that illuminates modern jihadism through the prism of farce. It understands jihadists as human beings. And it understands human beings as innately ridiculous. What This is Spinal Tap did for heavy metal and Dr Strangelove the Cold War, Four lions does for the modern face of terrorism.

In a British city, four men have a secret plan. Omar (Riz Ahmed) is disillusioned about the treatment of Muslims around the world and is determined to become a soldier. This is the most exciting idea Waj (Kayvan Novak) has ever heard. Better still it's a no-brainer because Omar does his thinking for him. Opposed to Omar and everyone else on earth is the white Islamic convert Barry (Nigel Lindsay). He'd realise he joined the cell to channel his nihilism - if he had half the self-knowledge of a duck. Faisal (Adeel Akhtar) is the odd man out. He can make a bomb - but he can't blow himself up just now coz his sick dad has "started eating newspaper". Instead he's training crows to fly bombs through windows. This is what Omar has to deal with.

They must strike a decisive blow on their own turf but can any of them strike a match without punching himself in the face? Four lions plunges us beyond seeing these young men as unfathomably alien. It undermines the folly of just wishing them away or, even worse, alienating the entire culture from which they emerge. The film is neither pro- nor anti- religious. The jokes fly out of the characters' conflicts, excesses and mistakes. Crackling with wit and tension, Four lions is the essential response to our failure to engage with reality and a high toast to the idea that laughter is better than killing.

Theatrical propaganda posters

Target demographic movie keyword propaganda

Film comedy drama UK Moslem terrorist home-grown jihad bomb farce Islam IED thriller suicide bomber Pakistan

Persons of interest

Kayvan Novak .... Waj
Julia Davis .... Alice
Benedict Cumberbatch .... Ed
Preeya Kalidas .... Sophia
Will Adamsdale .... Alex
Riz Ahmed .... Omar
Craig Parkinson .... Matt
Alex Macqueen .... Malcolm Storge MP
Nigel Lindsay .... Barry
Adeel Akhtar .... Fessal
Arsher Ali .... Hassan
Wasim Zakir .... Ahmed
Adil Mohammed Javed .... Nabil
Mohammad Aqil .... Mahmood
William El Gardi .... Khalid
Karl Seth .... Uncle X
Jesse Armstrong .... Screenwriter
Sam Bain .... Screenwriter
Simon Blackwell .... Screenwriter
Christopher Morris .... Screenwriter
Christopher Morris .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

Four lions official movie sites:

Australia
International

Four lions film production notes
Four lions movie trailers:

See also The road to Guantanamo, The reluctant infidel
Awards and film festivals:

Sundance Film Festival 2010: Nominated: Grand Jury Prize World Cinema - Dramatic (Christopher Morris)

Studios and distributors:

Hopscotch Films

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

Four lions is relentless. From the very first frame you know that there's going to be a bad end. Like every good comedy, no-one is going to get what they want and they'll have a hard time getting it.

The writers and cast have created characters whom it is impossible to dislike, even as they undertake an act that is so repulsive it's beyond our understanding. Who could possibly empathise with a terrorist? And yet, these guys are so likeable that you find yourself wanting to succeed, because it's probably the only thing that they will ever have succeeded at in their lives. Losers? Oh, yes, these guys are losers. Riz Ahmed is the ferrety Omar, dreaming of being a wolf. Kayvan Novak is the gormless Waj, in search of a Darwin Award. Nigel Lindsay is hard-core Barry, living in the moment because he doesn't have the imagination to think any further ahead. Adeel Akhtar is Faisal, scraped together from leftover bits floating in the gene pool. How can these unlikely lads not be hilarious?

But wait, there's more. No movie about terrorism would be complete without a bit of sniping at politicians full of appeasement toward their enemies, or a government that doesn't know its arse from its elbow. Don't forget the neighbours who can't see their nose in front of their face, or the people at the sharp end of the stick who haven't been trained for the job. Or a public with no idea. What could be funnier?

The best thing that one can say about a suicide bomber is that they remove themselves from the gene pool. The second best thing is that, in this case at least, they are bloody funny. Innit?

The comedy, drama, UK movie Four lions is directed by Christopher Morris and stars Riz Ahmed, Arsher Ali, Nigel Lindsay.