Every now and then, you watch a movie and come away stumped that you’ve never seen it before. More commonly, you might recognize a particular scene because it has become prolific across social media platforms. But because of this, the brilliance of a work of art in totality — and the message it is trying to convey to the audience — does not always translate into the success it deserves. As novelist Milan Kundera points out in his book-length essay “The Curtain,” a truly great work of art is able to reveal something universal about the human condition, to put into words a previously unexpressed but shared experience. Chris Morris’ black comedy “Four Lions” is one of these hidden gems that speaks to a shared truth. A hilariously dark exploration of the dangers of conformity and radicalism, the 2010 film provides a near constant stream of laughs while retaining its central message.
“Four Lions” follows four hilariously inept Muslim men living in England as they attempt to bring their mission of jihad against the West to fruition. The group is led by the most competent Omar (played brilliantly by Riz Ahmed). As the one chosen to join the Mujahideen, Omar is the glue holding the group together, even though he ultimately does not make the grade (DO NOT skip the credits, they hold some true gems). Caught in the middle, Omar returns to England with the determination to lead the block-headed Waj (Kayvan Novak), the utterly ridiculous Barry (Nigel Lindsay) and the unfortunate Faisal (Adeel Akhtar) in a noble (and completely unauthorized) jihad. Later, they recruit the sophomoreish Hassan (Arsher Ali) to their group. The movie seamlessly glides through their numerous misadventures and humorous incompetence as they struggle to fulfill their mission.
This might make the movie sound like it covers a heavy topic not suitable for a comedy. The irony of this was not lost to me as I struggled to write a first draft of this article during a five-hour layover between London and Washington, D.C. Terrorism and religious fundamentalism are innately serious topics that have only grown more poignant since the movie’s release in 2010. But the unexpected levity the movie infuses in such a controversial topic is exactly what makes the viewing experience so rewarding.
The brilliant poise and humor with which the script brings to the surface the hypocrisy and inane thought processes of the group not only provide a good laugh, but allow for a deeper understanding of the forces that drive them. To borrow from punk terminology, Barry is a poser: From his self-appointed nickname, Azzam Al-Britani, to his wickedly irrational patterns of logic throughout the movie, Barry underscores how dangerous it is for a person to subscribe to a cause without truly understanding it. Still, he provides great comedic relief. Hassan perfectly exemplifies the perils of conformity, starting off as a prankster (and truly awful rapper) who seeks brotherhood with the group despite not truly believing in their mission. Omar himself becomes a symbol of the pressures of conformity, realizing too late that his strong-armed methods toward the reluctant Waj were wrong.
As an interesting side note, it was only on my fifth viewing that I realized a poignant parallel in the movie’s excellent usage of Toploader’s “Dancing in the Moonlight” (although I did deduct half a star solely because I favor the King Harvest version). The song was written with deeper traumatic themes in mind, but the happy melody helps the listener glide through them, a concomitant (yes, I did just learn this word, it means a natural accompaniment) to the dark satire of “Four Lions.”
In an age where the line between caricatures and reality is becoming harder for the average person to distinguish, “Four Lions” stands out as a symbol of the ways in which politics can be more skillfully and obviously satirized to reveal a deeper message while still maintaining a degree of levity. The most effective forms of satire are those that can understand a point of view so deeply they are able to highlight the inherent contradictions of an identity with mocking humor, and “Four Lions” excels at the task. It never abandons its core theme of the pitfalls of conformity, especially in relation to radical ideology, with the well-written jokes (that sometimes miss due to British terminology — I just learned what a Boots was) providing an excellent cushion for the audience to fall back on.
