Would you laugh at a film depicting a man with explosives strapped to his body? No, probably not.
But what if he were dressed in costume like he’s come fresh from the set of Sesame Street? It’s hard not to in Four Lions, an audacious satire about the inner trials of a suicidal jihadist quintet.
The concept behind the film is certainly not easy to swallow, especially given the state of the world since, say, September 11th 2001 or July 7th 2005. Fortunately, the feature film debut of UK satirist Christopher Morris – England’s equivalent to the Chaser boys – is just as hilarious and heartfelt as it is controversial. Sure, you might find it insulting to think that the pride and might of England could crumble at the hands of five bumbling idiots, none of whom are competently schooled in their own radicalist ideology. But the one thing Morris and co-writers Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain constantly remind us is that you don’t have to be an evil genius to blow yourself up.
Hailing from Sheffield and ingrained with a culture more English than they would like to admit, ring-leader Omar (Riz Ahmed), confused sheep Waj (Kayvan Novak), Islamic convert Barry (Nigel Lindsay) and the highly sensitive Fassal (Adeel Akhtar) meet their inabilities and inconsistencies head-on with skewed visions of martyrdom. While aiming their aggression toward the West and voicing disdain for capitalism and McDonalds amidst a haste to off themselves and take as many as they can with them, the four realise they are out of their depth. While attending a “wedding”, code for terrorist training in Pakistan, Omar and Waj discover how unprofessional they are at the Jihadist business and return home determined to find infamy as holy warriors. In their time away, Barry recruits Hassan (Arsher Ali), an angry, directionless college boy that serves as easy prey for their cause. The win over his loyalty by promising that the afterlife is like a wild ride at a theme park. Minus the queues, of course.
These five ‘lions’ come together alarmingly well, evoking a team spirit with their original mix of loyalty, pride and playfulness. Despite their horrific displays of racism and malice, they are strangely sympathetic characters — mostly through our pity and their inability to see the great life afforded to them by the very society the plan to attack. Omar, as the most intense and seemingly capable of the group, is blinded by his misguided objective and fails to see how beautiful his wife is and how much his son could do with a father on earth, rather than in ‘heaven’.
As the laughs pile high, time runs out for these would-be terrorists who have an explosive date with destiny. We watch with unease as their nerves get the better of them, causing their plans to crumble under the weight of their own incompetence. Still, Morris plays devil’s advocate during the film’s tense climax where the reality of the situation sinks in, resulting in a powerfully emotive punch line that is far from being as tasteless and inane as you might expect. Four Lions is a provocative gem that doesn’t glorify terrorism as much as it does smart, courageous filmmaking.
