10 Sarcastic Movie Pricks You Can't Help But Love
5. Malcolm Tucker - In The Loop
F*ckity Bye
The film version of The Thick Of It did not disappoint, mostly because it stayed true to the television series' gag-a-minute political chicanery. But the stakes were even higher in the film; global war, the U.N and James Gandolfini.
Malcolm Tucker certainly served up his same raging, sarcastic self. In his need to doctor documents-of-state, manipulate the media and pull more strings than a puppeteer, Tucker left us with insults of such acerbic virulence they have remained etched in cinema-goers imaginations for eternity. For Tucker has elevated the insult to an art-form. He has produced metainsults, gigainsults and apocalynsults. Tucker has brought new words into the lexicon-omnishambles, marzipan-dildos, and epic f*ck ups, and, in this vein, he is on verbal fire as the I am the f*cking loop of In the Loop.
The film follows Minister Simon Foster's radio guffaw where he unintentionally leaks that war is imminent. Malcolm Tucker's aggressive spin-doctoring goes into overdrive as he tries to stop the leak turning into a levee-breaking political flood. It's fair to say Tucker was less than impressed with the junior Minister and tells him so in no uncertain terms; "Well, it is out there, its out there now, lurking like a big hairy rapist at a coach station".
But the colourful insults have a real purpose, go beyond mere invective and always emit an enticing provocation to analogy and imagery. For the Tucker character doesn't just insult you, he dissects your words, turns them against you, reinterprets the meaning and fires them back. Take this nugget from the much-suffering Minister Foster. Malcolm Tucker: "Climbing the mountain of conflict"? "You sounded like a Nazi Julie Andrews!"
Indeed, one becomes a little sorry for Foster as the story progresses. The following extract gives you a flavour of the Foster-Tucker relationship in In The Loop Malcolm Tucker: "I'm here, I'm there, I'm f*cking everywhere. I'm the egg man".
Simon Foster: "Have you come to insult me in a different timezone? Nor is Foster the only one too come into contact with Tucker's flair for giving voice to abrasive, antiquated, anti-everythings. "Woe betide anyone who tries to outsmart Tucker through a lofty euphuism". This is how Tucker reacts to the use of the word "purview" by Simon's aide, Judy Malloy: "Within your purview? Where do you think you are, in some f**king regency costume drama? This is a government department, not a f*cking Jane f**king Austen novel! Allow me to pop a jaunty little bonnet on your purview and ram it up the sh**ter with a lubricated horse !*$%!"
That one is up there with Play it again Sam and Frankly my dear for sheer repeatability. But it is surely the Malcom Tucker vs the USA component of the films no-holds barred trans-Atlantic contest which elevates Tucker into the league of great comedy characters. The cultural clash, the two nations separated by a common language, the fact this is all behind-the-scenes political intrigue where a kind of George Bush finesse meets a Michael Frayn script, forces the humour, and Tucker as Director of Communications, into ever- more outrageous places.
Having the angry Scotsman in the U.S was inspired. And it is surely against his counterpart spin doctor Linton where Tucker almost meets his match. Almost. For Tucker rises to the occasion in his sarcastic derision of his mirror-image across the pond
Malcolm Tucker: "I've just come from a briefing with a nine year old child". Linton: "Oh, you're talking about A.J. He's one of our top guys. He's one of our brightest and best". Malcolm Tucker: "Yeah, well his briefing notes were written in Alphabetti Spaghetti. When I left I nearly tripped over his f**king umbilical chord".
And the Tucker-Miller (Capaldi-Gandolfini) comedy is perhaps the best in the entire film Malcolm Tucker: "Have you ever actually killed anybody, I mean really?" General Miller: "Yeah". Malcolm Tucker: "What, falling asleep on someone? I mean, that doesn't count!" General Miller: "That's good! That's very good! How about you, pussy drip? Ever killed anybody?" Malcolm Tucker: "Maiming is what I prefer, psychologically".