10 Greatest Movies About American Politics

Having given British politics a thorough kicking with brilliant sitcom The Thick Of It, Armando Iannucci turned his sights on the USA, specifically the special relationship between the two countries in the early days of the Iraq war.

In The Loop sees a mid-level British minister put his foot in it by voicing an opinion on forthcoming military action, leading to an envoy of Brits traipsing to Washington to talk turkey. Simon Foster (Tom Hollander) suddenly becomes a potential kingmaker, with delegates on both sides of the aisle eager to get him on side.

As usual for an Iannucci project, the film is populated almost exclusively by characters equal parts stupid and ambitious. The backbiting and belligerence feels far more realistic than the noble politicians represented elsewhere.

James Gandolfini shines as a cautious General, one of the few sane voices, and Peter Capaldi puts in another fire breathing turn as spin doctor Malcolm Tucker. It’s a sharp, cynical, hilarious film that remains far too relevant.