Time

What explosive mischief might they create? That's the premise of Morris' brilliantly incendiary new comedy Four Lions.

A review by Richard Corliss for Time on 2010-11-13

The New York Times

A shockingly hilarious, stiletto-sharp satire directed by Chris Morris and written by a squad of British wits.

A review by A.O. Scott for The New York Times on 2010-11-04

Portland Oregonian

A dense, sharp, hilarious and unflinching film about a group of British Muslims who seek to shock the world with an apocalyptic act of jihad but are too dumb, contentious and accident-prone to succeed at anything much more audacious than ringing a doorbell and running.

A review by Shawn Levy for Portland Oregonian on 2010-11-11

Entertainment Weekly

These guys are not charming; they're horrifying in their ignorance, and they cause real damage. But there's a weird relief to be found in the opportunity to laugh ourselves sick at their expense, if only for an instant.

A review by Lisa Schwarzbaum for Entertainment Weekly on 2010-11-10

The A.V. Club

Chris Morris' corrosive black comedy Four Lions explores the lighter side of jihad. It's a ballsy romp through one of the least lighthearted subjects imaginable.

A review by Nathan Rabin for The A.V. Club on 2010-11-04

Slate

The very existence of Four Lions is an act of audacity; the fact that it's also smart, humane, and frequently hilarious is nothing short of a miracle.

A review by Dana Stevens for Slate on 2010-11-12

Village Voice

He's (Chris Morris) breaking taboos because broken taboos can be hilarious.

A review for Village Voice on 2010-11-02

The Hollywood Reporter

A hilarious farce and a brilliant takedown of the imbecility of fanaticism.

A review for The Hollywood Reporter on 2010-10-31

Empire

Guaranteed to offend a lot of folks across the political and belief spectrum, but consistently funny and horribly to the point. A sit-com spin-off is probably not on the cards, though.

A review by Kim Newman for Empire on 2010-10-31

Austin Chronicle

This is provocative stuff, to be sure, in which the stakes are so high that a pratfall concludes with exploding limbs and the anguished effect of its final minutes is a quiet shock to the system. A comedy of errors and terrors? Who woulda thunk it?

A review by Kimberley Jones for Austin Chronicle on 2010-11-05

Miami Herald

This is a comedy about imbeciles who fall blindly in love with a concept, without giving any thought to what they are doing. And although some of them eventually have a moment of self-realization, it arrives, sadly, much too late.

A review by Rene Rodriguez for Miami Herald on 2010-12-30

Orlando Sentinel

Its chilling third act suggests that sooner or later, even these riders on the Islamic short bus are going to get one right. And that won't be funny at all.

A review by Roger Moore for Orlando Sentinel on 2010-12-29

New Orleans Times-Picayune

The whole thing is kind of comforting in a damn-the-torpedoes, laugh-at-what-scares-you-most kind of way.

A review by Mike Scott for New Orleans Times-Picayune on 2010-12-11

Chicago Sun-Times

Four Lions is impossible to categorize. It's an exceedingly dark comedy, a wicked satire, a thriller where the thrills center on the incompetence of the villains.

A review by Roger Ebert for Chicago Sun-Times on 2010-11-10

Arizona Republic

Four Lions is a comedy about terrorism. No, not a thoughtful, intellectual take on the absurdities of suicide bombing. It's slapstick. Actually, it's the Three Stooges of Jihad.

A review by Richard Nilsen for Arizona Republic on 2010-12-11

Chicago Reader

The comedy divides cleanly into dark, violent slapstick (much of it hilarious) and more routine gags highlighting the fanatical characters' foolishness and incompetence.

A review by J.R. Jones for Chicago Reader on 2010-11-11

Los Angeles Times

Doesn't offer moviegoers one obvious message, but rather a complex and considered glimpse into a rarely seen world, one of utter absurdity and horror.

A review by Michael Ordona for Los Angeles Times on 2010-11-04

Philadelphia Inquirer

When it works - and it doesn't half the time - it's as if Monty Python were back, putting its merrily imbecilic stamp on the dark world of terrorism.

A review by Steven Rea for Philadelphia Inquirer on 2010-11-04

Time Out

While these ninnies' antics and banter are remarkably entertaining, the quality of the satire depends on when the movie is sending up ludicrous extremist logic and when it's just engaging in repetitive buffoonery.

A review by Nicolas Rapold for Time Out on 2010-11-03

The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Has a provocative, ticklish premise – five North England Muslims become suicide bombers, but can't decide who or what to take with them.

A review by Stephen Cole for The Globe and Mail (Toronto) on 2011-02-25

San Francisco Chronicle

Probably the world's first jihad terrorist comedy, Four Lions is a daring, brilliantly conceptualized film, but like the bumbling bombers of the title, the execution tends to be hit-and-miss.

A review for San Francisco Chronicle on 2010-11-11

Boston Globe

Real satire must be savage, and Four Lions, for all its daring, finally doesn't dare enough.

A review by Ty Burr for Boston Globe on 2010-11-04

Variety

An audacious premise gets dangerously unstable execution in Four Lions, a ballsy but wobbly high-concept farce that sends up the bumbling schemes of a Blighty-based jihadist cell.

A review by Justin Chang for Variety on 2010-10-31

New York Post

If all terrorists were like these idiots, the US would have nothing to worry about.

A review by V.A. Musetto for New York Post on 2010-11-05