Team America: World Police
2004 · Directed by Trey Parker
Original language: English
- adventure
- action
- comedy
The story
When North Korean ruler Kim Jong-il orchestrates a global terrorist plot, it's up to the heavily armed, highly specialized Team America unit to stop his dastardly scheme. The group, which has recruited troubled Broadway actor Gary Johnston, not only has to face off against Jong-il, but they must also contend with the Film Actors Guild, a cadre of Hollywood liberals at odds with Team America's 'policing the world' tactics.
What it’s like
Stiff marionettes stalk miniature sets built from painted plywood, cardboard skylines and foam-rock mountains, all shot in a flat, saturated primary palette that looks like a toy box that has been left out in the sun. The camera is mostly steady and frontal, with sweeping miniature establishing shots of Paris, Cairo and the Pacific giving way to tight, jerky cuts during the gunfights, where the puppets bounce and tumble with a deliberately clunky hitch. Sound is loud and bombastic: a jingoistic patriotic anthem, cartoonish gunfire, and bright synth stingers that undercut the solemnity of every montage. The vibe is manic, irreverent and cheerfully vulgar, a rowdy late-night riot rather than anything cosy. Pacing is brisk and musical, with songs that interrupt the action and sketch-like scenes that pile up fast. Its emotional register is broad satire, with a shambling loner actor learning to see past his own vanity and a team that bickers its way toward something like loyalty. Intensity is high: puppet gore, bloody explosions, graphic deaths, crude sexual humour, profanity and repeated scatological jokes, all played for laughs. Not suitable for anyone wanting something gentle. Made for adult fans of Parker and Stone's South Park irreverence who enjoy political skewering, absurd spectacle and gleefully offensive comedy.
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