A Black comedy about a group of Islamic Extremists may seem like a disaster of bad taste and a witch hunt waiting to happen- this is written and directed by Chris Morris of Brass Eye fame, after all- but don't be quick to judge, this is a remarkably funny and poignant film which has elements of both drama and farce and is handled with great care and deliberation. In the hands of a lesser film maker, "Four Lions" could delve into crass, stereotypical and appalling humour with little research and be a lesson in how not to make a comedy. However, Morris and his team of writers have crafted a story with three dimensional characters and a realistic situation. This film could be labelled a Comedy Tragedy, because like a tragedy, the fates of the characters are apparent from the start, you know what's to become of them, it's not going to be a happy ending and all you can do is watch and squirm at the events reaching a tragic climax.
The film tells the story of Omar and Raj, two idealistic yet naive Muslims who are "disenfranchised" by what they think are the evils of the Imperialistic West. Despite their hatred of the West, many references are made by them to such materialistic things as X-Box, Alton Towers, Rambo and The Lion King. And that's part of the tragic humour: the characters are willing to die for causes they don't understand. There's a scene where Omar tries to justify his jihad to his son using The Lion King as an analogy. Raj, a simpleton character, likens Paradise to a free pass at Alton Towers. Hassan, another of the group, rarely goes to Mosque, and Fessail, the most devout, seems to have little understanding of the Muslim faith. All of these situations are played for laughs. The most contradictory character is in the form of Complete Monster, Barry, a violent and volatile Islam convert and bully who seems to revel in shit stirring and wants the Muslims to rise up against non-believers. He doesn't go to Mosque, blames everything on the Jews, and is the leader of this group. His plan is to blowup a mosque and blame it on unbelievers. However, he makes a video telling of his plans and why he did it, making his plot ineffective. An unstable character who seems to only want to be a Muslim because it allows him to be in a minority and, in his mind, gives him and excuse to be violent. He forces Hassan and Raj to partake in humiliating acts of initiation and doesn't seem to know much about his own faith, just like the other lions. Omar is the only sane man of the group between the unstable Barry, the naive Hassan and the stupid Raj, but he is just as ignorant. Two characters who must be mentioned are Sof, his seemingly sensible and loving wife who seems to be the voice of reason in the film, until its slowly revealed that she supports his cause. In a massive deconstruction, Ahmed, Omar's devout brother, frequently tries to talk him out of his plans and is mocked for it. Ahmed is more devout, so much that he refuses to speak to women, making his suspicion in the plot, his arrest and torture all the more tragic.
There is a lot of farcical humour in the film. Two scenes that spring to mind are when the Lions are trying to hide explosives from two innocent bystanders. Both instances reminded me of situations that arise in comedies such as Fawlty Towers or Only Fools and Horses. In the first instance, they try scaring the woman away by lying so she won't find out about their plot. Another instance is when they have explosives in bags and have to lie to a jogger about going to football and doing "squat jogging" to hide the explosives. The fact that he believes them adds to the farce. And that's what drives the humour: bordering on the absurd and taking refuge in the darkest area in comedy to get laughs at the absurdity and unlikelihood of it all. There are moments where poignant moments are interrupted by this: for instance, at the end, juxtaposed with clips of the Lions threatening to blow themselves up, is the news that an Arab training camp they blew up earlier in the film contained Osama Bin Laden. There are mood shifts throughout this film, so be prepared to cry and laugh and shout at the TV in anger all at once. If you've seen the film, you know what I'm talking about.
At the end of the film, I was depressed at how this is the way it is in the world, and saddened. These characters were decent (except Barry), but misguided and looking for answers in the wrong place. Justice, faith and life and death are all themes explored, and I'd wager that anyone with a heart could not feel a little downhearted and misty eyed as the credits rolled. A great film, Chris Morris, you've done it again.
