MovieChat Forums > Four Lions (2010) Discussion > It Takes Balls To Make A Movie Like This

It Takes Balls To Make A Movie Like This


Im watching thie movie again tonight and I cant help but think that everyone involved in the production of this movie, including the actors, writer/director... EVERYONE has huge balls for creating and releasing this movie.

I can't sit here and pretend that I don't understand how a lot of people out there don't "get it" or are offended by it. It's a completely touchy and risky subject to center a black comedy around.

I commend the filmmakers and actors (especially the actors) for following through and releasing this because that takes guts. It's surely not for everyone, but personally I think this movie is amazing in every conceivable way.

reply

i know couple of people who thought that it was a real documentary and yes they are from USA

reply

It takes balls.

If you have an itchy finger you might end up blowing them up!

It's that man again!!

reply

After every laugh this movie pulled out of me I thought "how am I laughing at this? This is fvcked up!" Amazing.

"What race are you? If you don't tell me I'll just...assume the worst."

reply

It doesn't take balls; it takes the British. Only they can take the piss out of anything. They don't take anything seriously. A good way to live.

reply

Hear, hear! Same for Mel Brooks. In Blazing Saddles Mel took some of that British "I don't give a fook, I'm speaking me mind! If feathers are ruffled, so be it."

He killed sixteen Czechoslovakians. Guy was an interior decorator.

reply

Hear, hear! Same for Mel Brooks. In Blazing Saddles Mel took some of that British "I don't give a fook, I'm speaking me mind! If feathers are ruffled, so be it."


I like the Mel Brooks analogy because with Blazing Saddles it did take some guts, so much so that I believe the reason that the financiers behind the movie didn't want Richard Pryor cast in the role of the lead hero (the role incidentally went to the lesser known, Cleavon Little an actor rather than a comic who made a fitting alternative).

Anyway, I digress, Four Lions was an admirable but flawed movie. While a good film it's a little too imperfect to be hailed as a classic although it comes fairly close. It's an astute and well observed comedy which manages to blend lighthearted black humour and dark drama together rather well. The movie starts off fairly comical but towards the end, the tone of it shifts quite dramatically. The final shot before the credits role is especially sobering.

reply

Actually this is typically gutless British. They made sure to remove every reference to "Allah", even though the subjects they are supposed to "satirizing" never stop sayin "Allah", especially in the RPG scene, the first thing terrorists are taught is to say "Allah akbar" as they fire their weapons. It is quite gutless to de-Islamicize this subject.

They try to make the Muslims look reluctant and the White guy is the real terrorist, this far removed from the reality of Muslim terrorism, and again quite a cowardly attempt to de-Islamicize terrorism.

Not only that it was mostly unfunny anyway, so at least in those terms, a typical British comedy. The deaths of the Muslims were funny, but they want us to laugh at the deaths of innocent civilians and police officers, who themselves are made to look incompetent and evil (apparently the Muslim terrorists are not incompetent and evil at al, just the Whites). The Muslims are made to look merely misguided and regretful, the sympathy is supposed to be for them, not the innocent people they killed, they even have the down-home accents to make them sound more British than British.

reply

"Not only that it was mostly funny anyway, so at least in those terms, a typical British comedy"

British comedy's the best in the world. Better stick to your safe, unsubtle, dumbed down American "comedy". Much easier for your brain.

reply

wow , you somehow managed to pull the "white man has been portrayed as evil" card out of this?
amazing

You'd be a master of "woke outrage" if you came back

reply

I think even Al Quaeda militants would piss themselves watching this. I bet they know people like this.

reply

"It Takes Balls To Make A Movie Like This"


hahahaha! priceless.

It takes... something... to be this easily impressed. Not exactly sure what but it's definitely not brains or balls!

reply