Four Lions
Directed by Chris Morris
- comedy
- crime
- drama
The story
Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point. As the wheels fly off, and their competing ideologies clash, what emerges is an emotionally engaging (and entirely plausible) farce.
What it’s like
Rough, bright daylight over scrubby Sheffield-area estates and a bare hillside in the Peak District, shot handheld and close, so the bumbling group sits inside every frame with the camera jostling at their elbows. The palette is drab and practical: beige terraced houses, grey sky, cheap caravans and camouflage, with the occasional flat, sunny burst of a suburban garden. Sound is a mix of banter in thick northern accents, sudden blunt silences, and a few sharp bangs that land like slapstick rather than spectacle. The vibe is scruffy, sardonic, and uneasy, a dark comedy that laughs at its characters' incompetence while never pretending they are harmless. Pacing is brisk and escalating, with tension stacked on absurd tension until the farce tips into real dread. Violence is abrupt and brief, with some bloody injury and a graphic, startling finale rather than sustained gore; there is strong profanity, mild sexual talk, and frequent slurs. The emotional register runs from raucous to pained, following friends whose loyalty and self-deception push them toward catastrophe. For viewers who want sharp, politically pointed satire with a bite, and who can tolerate discomfort in a comedy about terrorism.
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