In the Loop

In the Loop is a 2009 British black comedy satire film directed by Armando Iannucci. It is based on the BBC Television series The Thick of It satirising Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq. The film was nominated for the 2010 Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).

In the film, the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom are looking to launch a war in the Middle East. The plot follows government officials and advisors in their behind-the-scenes efforts either to promote the war or prevent it. It stars Tom Hollander, Mimi Kennedy, James Gandolfini, Chris Addison, Peter Capaldi, Anna Chlumsky, Gina McKee, Steve Coogan and David Rasche. The film is a collaboration between BBC Films and the UK Film Council.

Filming took place between May 2008 and December 2008, and a world premiere was held at the Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2009. The European gala premiere screening was held in the independent Glasgow Film Theatre as the opening of the 2009 Glasgow Film Festival on 12 February 2009, attended by Iannucci and members of the cast. The film was released on 17 April 2009 in the United Kingdom.
During an interview on BBC Radio 4's PM programme, Minister for International Development Simon Foster (Tom Hollander) accidentally states that a proposed war in the Middle East is "unforeseeable". He is told off for not following "the line" by the Prime Minister's enforcer Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) and when caught by cameras says he may need to 'climb the mountain of conflict'. The statement coincides with a visit by senior U.S. State Department officials who jump upon the phrase and begin to use Simon, and his hapless new aide Toby (Chris Addison), as pawns in an international game who use his second contradicting statement.[3]

The film's plot is a satirical version of events surrounding the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, with the Tucker character presumed to have been based on Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's Director of Communications and Strategy at the time.