Of the Iraq war it can be said, rarely has so much been spent for so few lasting results. Some might argue that point, claiming that Saddam Hussein was eliminated, that a dictatorship was replaced by a functioning democracy, that, if not actually an ally, Iraq is no longer an active enemy of the United States. They might further argue that a destabilizing force has been eliminated from the region, and that Al Qaeda, through the death of thousands of jihadists and their merciless, murderous conduct in the areas they once controlled, has been dramatically undermined as a clearing house for radical Islamists.
At this point the sneaky, manipulative and therefore much reviled reviewer can respond, “Ah, but I don’t refer to the war itself, but to the films it inspired.” That much is indisputable. Over the past five years, Hollywood has marshaled the kind of budgets and major star power more commonly devoted to wizards, trolls and comic book heros, and hurled them instead at the war. Each of the films received glowing reviews from like-minded critics, but played briefly before mostly empty houses.
The are many possible reasons for their failure. One is that the American people, inured to cartoons and sophomoric plots and characterizations, can no longer muster the level of concentration necessary to the appreciation of serious content. Possibly the explanation lies in filmgoers’ aversion to cinematic reminders of this much-resented conflict. The most likely answer is the films were simply boring.
The producers, writers and directors approached their tasks with a message, and that message was a simple one. War is icky. Our soldiers are victimized by their commanders, and by those who direct them. In a nutshell, Bush lied, and people died. So committed to conveying their message, the producers violated the First Commandment of Cinema, thou shalt entertain. Their products were little more than polemics. Their objective was to drive home their message, and because of that, their message went unheard.
Then along comes a gem of a film, called “In the Loop.” Produced by BBC Films, “In the Loop” features the very best of British satirical humor. Featuring a relatively unknown cast, and produced on a budget dwarfed by the major Hollywood efforts, this independent film rarely puts a foot wrong. The satire is pointed and devastating, and there are several laugh-out-loud moments.
In a nutshell, the plot involves a hapless Minister of Foreign Development who, during an interview on African development, inadvertently restates British Foreign Policy by stating that an increasingly anticipated Middle Eastern war is unforeseeable. What follows are his ham-handed attempts to restate his position, to “follow the line,” complicated by cynical attempts to manipulate him by both foes and advocates of the war. Much of the plot follows the machinations of the aides and assistants of most of the players. While it is a bit of a cliche that the principals are incompetents who rely on the polish and judgement of their subordinates, “In the Loop” turns that trope on its head, depicting the aides as being as hapless as their bosses.
In essence, each of the players acts in his or her own interest, blithely jettisoning principle in the pursuit of their own higher goals. That this scenario may be the most devastating indictment of the Bush administration’s rush to war is made all the more powerful by the omission of the name of Bush, Tony Blair, or even Iraq. By not naming names, they have made their case.
Yet at its heart, “In the Loop” is a remarkably funny film. It is equally effective at lampooning American and British politicians and cultures, which is rare, and the writing is consistently sound. At one point, when the Prime Minister’s Director of Communications, who has forged strong positions on both sides of the issue, confronts Linton Barwick, the leading American advocate for war, in the United Nations’ Meditation Room. Blanton says, “Don’t raise your voice. This is a Sacred Place. Now, you may not believe that, and I may not believe that, but by God, it’s a useful hypocrisy.”
All hypocrisies are useful in “In the Loop,” and all principles negotiable. It is a profoundly cynical film, and doubly effective for being so funny. As soon as the movie ended, I thought I could probably watch it every night.