Chase reviews IN THE LOOP

In the Loop *****

It is surprising that this is Armando Iannucci’s first foray into feature film making. As the genius behind pretty much all of the best UK comedy since Blackadder, including The Day Today, Alan Partridge, and The Thick of It; you would have thought that highly paid Hollywood would snap him up to add gags to the latest Renee Zellwegger vehicle.

It is fortunate then, that his first cinematic outing has been all his own work. In The Loop is a big screen companion piece to the critically acclaimed The Thick of It, which was a sort of cross between Yes Minister and The Office. Hapless Simon Foster (Tom Hollander) the (fictional) Secretary of State for International Development accidentally declares the likelihood of war in the middle east as “unforeseeable”. This slight slip up, sees Foster becoming a political piggy in the middle between war mongers and peacenicks in London and Washington, and gives us an excuse for some excellent set pieces, and hilarious one liners.

Peter Capaldi once again steals the show as Malcolm Tucker, the foul mouthed spin doctor and manipulator of souls employed by the Prime Minister. His insults and digs at his opponents are so wince inducing cruel that it is of no surprise to see a ‘swearing consultant’ credited. Chris Addison excels as the everyman caught up in the whirlwind of political spin, and there are some standout cameos – no name actors stealing the cameo show from Steve Coogan, clearly doing a favour for his mate.

I doubt this will play well in the states, and the 2009 release seems a little like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted, hoever, this film will be battling it out with Sasha Baron Cohens Bruno for most quoted of the summer.

Seriously, see this film.