7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
The US President and UK Prime Minister fancy a war. But not everyone agrees that war is a good thing. The US General Miller doesn't think so and neither does the British Secretary of State for International Development, Simon Foster. But, after Simon accidentally backs military action on TV, he suddenly has a lot of friends in Washington, DC. If Simon can get in with the right DC people, if his entourage of one can sleep with the right intern, and if they can both stop the Prime Minister's chief spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker rigging the vote at the UN, they can halt the war. If they don't... well, they can always fire their Director of Communications Judy, who they never liked anyway and who's back home dealing with voters with blocked drains and a man who's angry about a collapsing wall.
Starring: Peter Capaldi, James Gandolfini, Tom Hollander, David Rasche, Gina McKeeComedy | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: LPCM 2.0
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
I was listening to an interview with George Lucas on NPR the other day—I swear, this does tie in to In the Loop—and the grand pooh-bah of Star Wars mentioned how he didn’t think Dr. Strangelove’s satire has aged particularly well, simply because our government, over the past forty years, has far surpassed the level of insanity seen in Stanley Kubrick’s Cold War classic. While I respectfully disagree with the first part of his statement—I think the film’s portrayal of bureaucratic incompetence is timeless—Lucas does make an interesting point. We need not look any further than the war in Iraq to see two-faced governmental ridiculousness at its best. The lead up to the war found the political spin machine chugging like an overloaded and unbalanced dryer, trying desperately to justify an invasion on false pretenses. With good versus evil sloganeering and blatant fear mongering from the White House, the around the clock politicking reached surreal new heights. Where’s Peter Sellers when you need him? Now, there have been a number of films about the Iraq War in the past few years—most riding a liberal wave of collective denouncement—but until In the Loop, a deliriously sardonic British satire, none has so perfectly captured the absurdist farce that the average, well-informed, admittedly left-leaning citizen imagined to be happening behind the closed doors of State Department conferences and congressional sub-committees. It’s bureaucracy gone mental.
Simon and Toby are so out of the loop that they're actually in the loop.
Shot with handheld, high-definition video cameras, In the Loop has a distinctly unglamorous, almost "made for TV" aesthetic that fits well with the film's demolishing of the pomp and grandeur with which we normally perceive politics. Appropriateness aside, the source material does have that flat, mid-level video look, as opposed to the deeper, more filmic appearance obtained by the high-end Red One camera that was used to shoot Soderbergh's Che biopic, for example. The film's 1.85:1-framed, 1080p/AVC encode isn't the flashiest image you'll catch on Blu-ray this year, then, but it does seem to represent In the Loop's decidedly understated visual intentions. Clarity varies from scene to scene, but the overall look is slightly soft. This is most apparent in wider shots, where edges get a bit soggy. Close-ups, though, tend to be sharp and nicely resolved, showing off ample facial texture and other fine details, like the weft on Steve Coogan's knit cap. However, the downsides of shooting on video are readily apparent; highlights are frequently blown out, colors are somewhat wishy-washy, contrast lacks presence, and skin tones seem pasty at times. (Though perhaps British actors are just paler than their American counterparts.) You'll also notice a thin swarm of digital noise buzzing over the image, most obviously in darker parts of the frame, like the various politicians' black suits. Temper your expectations appropriately, however, and you'll be too caught up in the film's verbal repartee to be overly concerned with the picture quality.
In the Loop makes the leap to Blu-ray with two audio offerings, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and an uncompressed PCM 2.0 stereo track, both of which are more than capable of handling the film's limited audio requirements. As you might expect, dialogue is the key ingredient of the film's sonic mix, and it comes through unfalteringly, though the occasional insanity of Robert Altman-esque overlapping lines can be overwhelming if you're not paying strict attention. Most of the action takes place up front and center, with the rear channels only engaged for some minor ambience, like Washington DC street sounds or the chatter of a crowded committee meeting. Very rarely, you'll hear a car whizzing from left to right or some other similarly subtle effect. Even the film's rock show—yes, senate aides and low-level staffers go out to headband to Cannibal Corpse— sounds rather tame. Music, in general, is only sparsely used in the film, and with only one or two exceptions it's incidental, like the pompous classical music that the director of diplomacy plays in his office. Still, everything sounds fine, if a little thin and uninvolving. No one is going to confuse In the Loop for Transformers 2 audio-wise, but the film's acerbic dialogue is clean and clear, and that's the important thing.
Behind-the-Scenes Featurette (SD, 3:16)
This unfortunately short featurette only has time to give a quick synopsis of the film and offer
some
brief remarks from director Armando Iannucci and a few of the film's stars.
Deleted Scenes (SD, 28:09)
I rarely find deleted scenes worth watching—usually, they were cut for a reason—but this half-
hour
collection is filled with the kind of smart, funny stuff that makes up the film. And it makes sense;
Iannucci's first cut ran some four and a half hours long. If you enjoyed the film, you'll want to
play
these scenes immediately afterward.
TV Spot (SD, 00:32)
Trailer (1080p, 2:22)
I could heap superlative praise on the film until I'm red, white, and blue in the face, but it'll suffice to say that if you like smart comedies with crackling dialogue and an ample dose of political satire, In the Loop is a must-watch, must-own experience on Blu-ray. Pair this with The Hurt Locker and you'll have a gripping double feature that covers the Iraq War from all angles. Highly recommended.
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