'In the Loop' seems to have generally gone down well with audiences, despite the sarcastic style of comedy being something you either find funny or you don't. Personally I love British satire, 'Four Lions' is easily one of my favourite comedy movies and those who enjoyed that will love this one too.Those who are easily offended by swearing might want to avoid 'In the Loop' though. It features a permanently angry foul-mouthed Scot who is incapable of going a sentence without using the F word. If you can see past that, then there are plenty of laughs to be had here as the jokes come thick and fast.'In the Loop' is my type of comedy film and one I will remember for its brutally funny jokes, one liners and ridiculous characters. A brilliantly witty political satire, definitely recommended for those who enjoy this style of comedy.

Version I saw: UK DVD releaseActors: 7/10Plot/script: 8/10Photography/visual style: 6/10Music/score: 5/10Overall: 7/10In the Loop may be Armando Iannucci's first film as a director, but it is built on over 20 years of experience in caustic satire. He began working with the likes of Chris Morris, Charlie Brooker, Steve Coogan and Stewart Lee in the early 90s on TV series The Day Today and Brasseye. More recently, his primary work has been on TV's The Thick Of It. They may deny it, but In the Loop is basically a movie spin-off of this series.Drawn from The Thick Of It are foul-mouthed spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), one of the more vibrant creations of British television in the last decade, and young speech-writer Toby Wright, played by Chris Addison. They journey to America with new character MP Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), after he accidentally aligns himself with one side in the covert campaigns to initiate a war with a Middle Eastern country. It's a fairly naked parody of the build-up to the 2003 War in Iraq.The underlying theme is about the difference between the confident and the hesitant. While those with the assertiveness and charisma to press forward their plans control major world events, the rest of us are left to fight over the scraps. Many characters in In the Loop have a great line in dry wit, until they are put under pressure or scrutiny, at which point their intelligence hilariously collapses.A great cast of remarkably versatile actors like Hollander, Capaldi and the late lamented James Gandolfini deliver the lines brilliantly, be they sharply witty or bumblingly hilarious. The script rightly won an Oscar nomination for Iannucci, regular The Thick Of It contributors Simon Blackwell and Tony Roche, and co-creator of UK TV's Peep Show, Jesse Armstrong.Some of the events and characters depicted are just possibly a little too close to reality to satisfy me completely of the creativity on show, but that is not the point. The focus is on the small people caught in big events, and the paralysing effect of blind panic on the reserved British psyche. That and Malcolm Tucker's genius for foul language...

One of the best political satires (and comedies) ever made (think of the Seinfeld in-joke episode around 'War, what's it good for' while I was watching it). For the actual quote that makes this tale completely spiral outta control, you gotta watch this one.Brought my attention to 'My girl' and 'Veep' suck-up, Anna Chlumsky, and it's (aptly) ironic that almost all of the 'In the loop' alum are a part of the ongoing HBO political satire, 'Veep' (including one of the main makers, Armando Iannucci).Tom Hollander is fantastic, but the real scene-stealer, swearing and all, is Peter Capaldi (recently wasted in the Brad Pitt Zombie-actioner, 'World War Z, and amazingly perfect as the new Doctor). Gandolfini is as solid as anything he's been in, and switches on both menacing as well as 'gentle-bear' in spite of the cut-throat political setting. The only flaw, IMO? Steve Coogan, who's wasted (unless I'm missing the relevance/significance of his casting) in the 2 scenes he's in, that could've been filled in by just about anyone. Timely and topical, this might not change anything, but is peppered with 'in' jokes on the political processes in the UK and in Washington, and is a fun way to pass one's time. Almost every character is given something substantial to do, and the makers never lose sight of the fact that the humor is what this is about, and ensure its presence in spades.For a change, it did have a decent run during it's specialty release in '09, when I got to watch it more than once.

Although not as emphatic and cynical in its style, In the Loop does in many ways resemble Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece Dr. Strangelove, as its creator Armando Iannucci manages to produce a refreshingly intelligent comedy, that explores the behaviour of American and British political bureaucrats during the Iraq war era, in a witty and often hilarious manner. While Iannucci's trademark mockumentary style of filming adds to the idea of authenticity of the events depicted, the film's outstanding feature is undoubtedly the terrific writing that is based on a very colorful language and presents the audience with great dialogue, as one is exposed to an abundance of sidesplitting one-liners. The film sadly losses some of its momentum towards the end, and the pace eventually begins to undermine the clever writing, yet In the Loop deserves to be recognized as one of the sharpest political satires made in recent years.