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 At Cinemas from Friday 19th (UK) Tropic Thunder, a film by Ben Stiller and starring himself, Robert Downey.Jnr and Jack Black. The story is about a group of actors making a war movie and the director decides they need to get the feel of the script by locating in Vietnam.
This film is a comedy and Ben Stiller has managed to get some top level stars to play in it and the Stillers also managed somehow to get the movie moguls to fund the movie with big bucks, not the norm with the recent abundance of low level comedies being produced.
The film is not just about war although the scenery and action is good, it's about the pompous, self-righteous attitude of screen actors. That living in their glossy world they assume and expect everything to hinge on them. This is Ben Stiller's way of having a laugh at A-listers expense and their egos.
The three main characters, pampered A-listers are sent on location to Far Eastern jungle to make a war movie. However, in the jungle are militia running drugs and they mistakingly think they are under attack by the US marines. But the self-indulgent A-listers think they are part of the movie and the use of live ammunition by the "extras" is all part and parcel of making the movie realistic.
Robert Downey Jr. plays Kirk Lazarus, an Oscar-winning Aussie actor so high on ego with himself that he is unaware of what is so immoral and wrong about him blacking up to play an African-American soldier. Robert Downey said that he used to hear stories from coloured friends of his Dad who had been there. He created his character without slapstick, therefore any material that could have been offensive to be totally hilarious, as Lazarus is undeniably a total idiot. In fact the statement by Downey that "I don't stop being the character until the end titles run" is not that far form reality from many top A-listers.
Ben Stiller has also been able to get some other top names to do cameo roles so look out for a heavily disguised Tom Cruise and Matthew McConaughey.
Jack Blacks character doesn't really get any decent gags until the final quarter and he appears to be less egotistic in the film.
Some parts of the script in the early stages appear a little disjointed but the action scenes are good although the CGI tends to show through, but squads of helicopters swooping over the green canopy of the jungle and the swoop & zoom camera work give the feel of expansive limitless countryside.
Ben Stiller has managed to talk the moguls into financing big style into a basically silly movie but taking the directors chair has created a really good satirical film to hopefully end the movie industries poor turnout of comedies recently. The intro spoof movie trailers introducing the characters are hilarious.
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Movie Trailer
Tropic Thunder
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