The Day Shall Come is the new film by Director Chris Morris, who previously made Four Lions, which is one of my all time favourite comedy films. It tells the story of Moses Al Shabazz (Marchant Davis) the leader of a small religious commune in Miami, who is wrongly targeted by and FBI agent (Anna Kendrick), who believe he is leading a terrorist organisation.
To begin with the film has a lot of positives, the message of the film in particular is great. It aims to expose the ineptitude of intelligence work in Post-9/11 America and that paranoia and stupidity have lead to the FBI tracking down those who pose no threat at all in order to win convictions and make themselves look better. It highlights how incompetence in politics is rewarded and it is ultimately the poor and disadvantaged who suffer as a result. Through this message there are some individually good scenes and moments. The central performance by Marchant Davis is excellent.
However, it feels difficult not to compare this film to Four Lions, which in my opinion is infinitely better. Four Lions has a brilliant balancing act of being laugh out loud funny and moving as well. The Day Shall Come didn’t have that many laughs in and didn’t have the same character depth. Apart from the main character, the others didn’t feel as well developed or clearly defined as Omar, Waj and Barry do in Four Lions.
The Day Shall Come is not a bad film, it is just a bit forgettable, especially compared with the masterpiece that is Four Lions. I would recommend giving it at least one watch, but there aren’t that many scenes that will stay with you in future. 3 Stars.
Movie Night 