Four Lions

1. Four Lions • Directed by Chris Morris, infamous for biting satires and spoofs The Day Today and Brass Eye. • Features Riz Ahmed (consider the point we have discussed about Archie Panjabi) as one of a group of inept suicide bombers from Sheffield. • A farcical comedy film that, interestingly, has also been critically acclaimed for raising many serious issues in relation to British Muslims (although some reviewers did not like it) • This is in contrast to West is West – think about the review of it we read describing it as a “lightweight” film • It clearly provokes comparison with the 7/7 London bombings and has hit on raw nerves – do you think it could have been made a few years ago (i.e. closer to 2005)? • Do you think there is any tension between melodrama and comedy – are there any points in the film where you feel uncomfortable laughing?

2. Take notes on the representation of the main characters… • Omar • Waj • Faisal • Barry • Hassan – recruited later • How are non-Asian characters treated (e.g. the police at the end of the film, Omar’s colleague)?

3. Morris's basic strategy is to undermine and undercut. The jihadis are hopelessly confused and contradictory, caught between their assimilated lifestyle and righteous ideological fire. Omar, for example, can't stop mocking his far more religious, far more peaceable, brother. Fessel, a main vehicle for the doofus comedy, buys bomb-making material with a voice disguised as his own. (Plus he forgets about his beard when he presents himself as a "woman".) Omar and Waj bond by asserting they would happily kill the other if necessary. Barry is constantly trying to insert himself into a group trip to the Middle East, even though it is clear he is not wanted. And when the authorities finally track the group down, Morris doesn't spare them his withering eye: the cops are as incompetent as everyone else, despite their veneer of technological sophistication. Strangely enough, Four Lions reminded me of Dad's Army, with its blend of buffoonery and cantankerousness, petty power struggles and blurring of the lines between home and combat life. Perhaps it is also indicative of how essentially unadventurous Four Lions is, cinematically speaking; only in the final section, when the bombers run around in hysterically inappropriate fancy dress, does the film approach the demented inspiration with which we associate Morris. Still, in its very existence, Morris has hit on the rawest of nerves, and for that he deserves admiration.

4. H/w: plan an essay • Discuss the recent representation of British Muslims, with reference to media that you have studied • What are the main points you want to make (remember “theory” and “effects”)? • What evidence could you use for them?