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Armando Iannucci describes his new movie, “In the Loop,’’ as “a verbal equivalent of the Bourne films; the action is nonstop.’’ And that action venomously savages the British government. (Bill Brett for The Boston Globe) |
Fast and furiously funny
‘Loop’ director likes skewering politicians
“In the Loop’’ is one of those manic farces the British are so good at and that we can’t seem to make in this country. It moves at warp speed, which is just what the architect of this mad ensemble, co-writer and director Armando Iannucci, had in mind.
Iannucci loved the famously rapid-fire talk on “The West Wing’’ and grafted that style onto this movie. He further ramped up the speed at which his actors speak from 45 rpm on the TV show to 78 rpm on the big screen.
“I don’t know what C.J. and Josh are talking about,’’ he says of two “West Wing’’ characters. “But you don’t really need to know.’’
Iannucci made sure the pacing of the movie kept up with his dialogue.
“This is a verbal equivalent of the Bourne films,’’ he says by telephone from New York. “The action is nonstop.’’
In the movie, which opens Friday, a hapless British government minister lets slip during an interview that war in the Middle East is probable. This triggers frenzies on both sides of the Atlantic. Said hapless minister flies to Washington and makes things worse before he is fired. The scenes are frenetic and funny and beautifully acted, qualities the writer-director is well known for thanks to his work in British TV.
Iannucci, 45, is the son of an Italian father and a Scottish mother. He grew up in Scotland. He read English at Oxford, wrote a column for The Guardian, and wrapped himself in classical music while becoming a man for all seasons in British television and radio.
“In the Loop’’ was born out of “The Thick of It,’’ a wildly popular British TV series Iannucci co-wrote and directed that savaged the political players at the top of British government with glee and a venom unknown in this country. (No one, he acknowledges, does venom like the Brits.)
“Maybe it’s the cynicism of the UK,’’ he offers. America may have had “The West Wing,’’ an idealized vision of life in the White House, but the Brits abhor such valentines and and insist instead on snide and brutal satire. Call it a refreshing breath of foul air.
While he may be a complete blank in this country, his name is huge in the world of British comedy. In The Independent, comedian Mark Steel noted with admiration that while elected officials often try to co-opt comedians, they can’t reach Iannucci. “He’s not friendly with politicians. He means what he says about them.’’
Iannucci’s invisibility here may well change; “In the Loop’’ features James Gandolfini in a big role and has earned good buzz at American film festivals. And while Iannucci has just filmed more episodes of “The Thick of It,’’ this time with a woman prime minister, he is talking with HBO about a similar political satire series set in Washington.
In certain ways, “The Thick of It’’ is the offspring of “Yes, Minister,’’ a 1980s British series skewering the vicious infighting among ministers to great effect. But where “Yes, Minister’’ was delivered in measured tones, “The Thick of It’’ moved in machine-gun bursts, and Iannucci kept his finger on the trigger for “In the Loop.’’
“I always felt the political situation had changed a lot since ‘Yes, Minister,’ ’’ he says. “Politicians have less power; they’re surrounded now with political advisers. I had a long conversation with a co-writer of ‘Yes, Minister’ about it and this was an overt updating. Anything that happens in the moment determines behavior. I wanted to build in detail a sense of authenticity, of eavesdropping.’’
Swearing is woven into the fabric of the movie to a degree we rarely see. The character of Malcolm Foster, the deliciously nasty head of communications for the prime minister played by Peter Capaldi, cannot complete a sentence without spraying it with a robust array of four-letter words.
In fact the swearing is so pervasive that Iannucci faced the challenge of how to keep the blue streaks entertaining.
“We put a lot of work into his language to keep it as creative as possible,’’ he says. “To make sure how he’s going to present elaborate physical threats. Peter is the exact opposite in real life. He’s quite shy and has a gentle voice. He has to go away and pump himself up as the shooting nears.’’
The movie succeeds on heroic ensemble acting, a hallmark of British stage and movie work. Why do they do this so much better than we do? “Maybe it’s the long theater tradition there,’’ he says. “I’ve always liked a big white canvas and then make it multilayered.
“But you do it, too,’’ he adds. “I’m thinking of Robert Altman, who is not afraid to introduce us to 12 actors in the first 10 minutes.’’
That’s fast - just the way Armando Iannucci likes it.
Sam Allis can be reached at allis@globe.com. 
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
