In the Loop (2009) on Netflix
Britain and the US weigh a war in the Middle East. Simon Foster, Minister for International Development, calls war unforeseeable on radio, then says Britain must climb the mountain of conflict.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb7.4/1064,574 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes94%
Trailer
Plot summary
The Prime Minister and the US President are both inclined toward a war in the Middle East, and a radio interview pushes Simon Foster, the Minister for International Development, into the middle of the argument. Malcolm Tucker, the Prime Minister's Director of Communications, rebukes him for the remark, but Foster is still sent to Washington to gather information about the problems a war could create for Britain. There, Karen Clark, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomacy, opposes intervention and points to a report by her aide Liza Weld on post-war planning. Linton Barwick, the Assistant Secretary of State for Policy, fears that his secret war committee has been mentioned. Clark recruits Lieutenant General George Miller, who doubts the army has enough troops, and invites Foster to the committee.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about In the Loop (2009)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Researching the film, Armando Iannucci walked into the US State Department headquarters by showing his BBC press pass and saying he was "here for the 12.30", then spent an hour taking photographs that became the reference for the film's set designs.
- Iannucci wrote that the motorcade scene kept stalling at the traffic lights on every block, until one of the police officers standing by for authenticity leaned into the car and offered to turn his siren on, which got them through all the red lights.
- The United Nations headquarters of the vote scenes is really London's Royal Festival Hall, while the gig Toby and Liza go to was filmed in a genuine Washington nightclub, the Black Cat, with the band Cannabis Corpse playing.
- Jesse Armstrong described the five-man writing method carried over from The Thick of It: he, Simon Blackwell and Tony Roche each took one act of the three-act story, Armando Iannucci held it together in the middle and gave notes, and Ian Martin added material and rewrites.
