The Independent Film Forum: 11. In the Loop

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Cuthbert: I was confused: was the film set in 2003 or now? If it's 2003 then references to Youtube, and 'Brokeback Mountain' are anachronisms. If it is today then it is out of date. Also, is it an attack on MPs or civil servants? There are few MPs in it so you could say that by their absence they're being criticised but if the film-makers had wanted to do that they could have done a more devastating hatchet job on Blair than they have done on Campbell. Much of the comedy is forced, relying largely on swearing and over-acting. I suppose it keeps the contentiousness of the Iraq invasion in people's minds so, if for that reason alone, then go along.

Chicunique: If toe curling becomes an Olympic event, put me down as a strong contender for winning gold. I have just watched 'In the Loop'. The script is so far beyond the knuckle that it is almost impossible to enjoy. Malcolm Tucker, the cod-eyed, calculating Vulcan-on-acid is still lambasting the hapless Simon Foster who still has all the social graces of a slumbering snail; Toby, the nonentity in a suit is still hanging around and now Gina McKee is a new stooge. If this is in the loop, I am happy out of it.

Billy: A great movie; likely to be one of the best British made films of the year. Visually I thought it suffered in the switch to the big screen. But that was one of the few quibbles. By the end, there was a sense of sadness to the whole thing at how politicians and their spin-men shape the world to their (ill) will.

M Romford: 'In the Loop' is as frightening in it's depiction of the relationship between the media and politics as it is hilarious. While it's scary to consider the possibility that there may well be a few real-life Malcolm Tuckers knocking around the corridors of power, it's hats off to Iannucci for some great lines, making the film, for my money, the best British comedy of the last few years.

Next week The next film up for discussion in the Independent Film Forum will be 'State of Play'. Is Kevin Macdonald's new crime flick as gripping as 'The Last King of Scotland' and 'Touching the Void'? Add your comments to www.independent. co.uk/filmforum and we'll print the best in the newspaper next week.