Where does the intrepid Chris Morris draw the line when it comes to comedy? His highly-controversial sorties on the boundaries of good taste in the world of comedy have been seen in the likes of ‘Brass Eye’ and ‘The Day Today’ to great effect, and his eye turned towards terrorism in this outing with ‘Four Lions’ aimed directly at the big screen.

Omar (Riz Ahmed) plays the more intelligent of the Doncaster jihadist’s attempts to school Waj (Kayvan Novak), Faisal (Adeel Akhtar), Hassan (Arsher Ali) plus a white fanatic and convert Barry (Nigel Lindsay) towards a fate that will see them in paradise. Unfortunately, the group are bumbling idiots, and the majority of the time you see them as incapable wanabees who have a distorted ideological view of their cause and of themselves as tough talking vessels of terror rather than the ‘Allo Allo’ Germans I likened them to.

What follows in the farce is Morris’s take on the terrorist position, which he views as absurd rather than threatening and satirises with glee to brilliant effect. Omar is summoned to Pakistan along with his ‘Bro’ Waj, who fail to impress and return disgraced after shooting up the wrong target with a rocket launcher, to find that Barry has recruited Hassan – a rap artist who disrupts a public meeting by pretending to be a bomber. With a quantity of ‘explosive’ procured via nefarious means, they then try to define a target that will be meaningful, with Barry suggesting home turf would see a rise of Muslims in a dog versus dog fight and Omar ridiculing him but being subdued by an accidental death forcing him to reconsider the position. They then set off to hit their target at a London marathon run, suited and booted with fancy dress to disguise their payload, it soon becomes apparent that they are both confused and uncertain of their conviction and a comedy (or tragedy) of errors ensues.

What is striking about this tale is the superb observation by Morris, who depicts a normal and happy life for Omar with his son and wife, she loving and fun-filled but taking no steps to try and dissuade him from the horrific course he is set on, whilst he tells his son expanded tales of Simba that have meaning set in the actions he is resolute in taking. It feels a little scary because it also feels real and claustrophobic. What Morris does very well however is keep the comedy sharp, acerbic with a relentless tirade against the absurdity of the bombers and their views. He does not aim for Muslims and in fact the police and officials all come off badly as he turns his sights on them as the film takes its course, with police marksmen taking out a Wookie instead of a Honey Monster in one scene with the verbal argument that follows. You do in fact feel for the main characters as the final scenes unfold, and that I guess is a good measure of just how well the film has drawn the viewer to the characters.

8.5/10 A real treat and one I suspect will reveal more laughs and depth with repeat viewing, you have to listen to the characters to get the most out of it, for the most part it is not a visual caper but that medium does have its moments too. Some excellent performances, especially from Riz Ahmed, and well worthy of its screen time.