M
Marie
Guest
Nicolas Cage usually chooses his movies well, and that was a good pick - plus, it's full of hints and winks.
For example, the movie was produced by the "Entertainment Manufacturing Company". The story, "based on real events", shows the rise and fall of an independant arms dealer, with a rich psychological subplot. It could even be construed to show the difference between "souled" individuals and OPs if one was so inclined.
It must be given credit for showing a bit of the reality of life in war-torn regions of Africa. A lot of the action happens in Liberia, with "André Baptiste", local dictator supplied by Cage, and his son who likes to carry around a gold-plated AK-47 (don't you hate when people do that?) Here's a funny one from Baptiste:
"They accused me of rigging elections, but after this... (waves a newspaper. title reads: U.S. Supreme court reverses recount ruling")... with your Florida and your supreme court of kangaroos... now the U.S. must shut up forever"
The (anti-)hero's principal competitor "got rich selling for the CIA", but then the conversation goes on to say that times have changed and gunrunning isn't political anymore. Imo this is as close as they could get to the truth without being censored, and still - later they mention the government using such independants to do its dirty work. Also here is a quote from the protagonist: " The biggest arms dealer in the world is (...) the president of the United States, who ships more in a day than I do in a year".
Yeah, I know, none of that is particularly groundbreaking, but to unaware audiences it could provide clues to the real actions of the government, and maybe encourage them to dig a bit.
Also this, which appears just before the credits: That the 5 major arms dealers in the world are the U.S., the U.K., Russia, France and China - and those also happen to be the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. Hmm.
As for the psychological thread, it could be understood as the principal character being a souled being who forgot about his soul (the "used gun" incident and a few other instances where he acts rather humanly), or else as an OP with human-like social programming, compared to his souled brother. There is interesting psychological progression - mostly downwards.
The protagonist receives a series of wake-up calls, that show him the uses his merchandise is put to. First he sees a young boy shot by a summary execution plot in Lebanon; later when Baptiste shows him his army of children soldiers. Then, in Liberia still, when he is given a taste of "brown-brown" and the resulting bad trip. Brown-brown is cocaine mixed with gunpowder, that child soldiers are given to snort before battle in order to "make them crazy". the barman explains to him that he really should try it, because "It's your gunpowder".
But as he fails to heed the warnings... I won't say it so as not to spoil all of it. But I do think it is a good movie, and it just might cause a few to wonder what exactly is going on - though, of course, it's all in the details...
For example, the movie was produced by the "Entertainment Manufacturing Company". The story, "based on real events", shows the rise and fall of an independant arms dealer, with a rich psychological subplot. It could even be construed to show the difference between "souled" individuals and OPs if one was so inclined.
It must be given credit for showing a bit of the reality of life in war-torn regions of Africa. A lot of the action happens in Liberia, with "André Baptiste", local dictator supplied by Cage, and his son who likes to carry around a gold-plated AK-47 (don't you hate when people do that?) Here's a funny one from Baptiste:
"They accused me of rigging elections, but after this... (waves a newspaper. title reads: U.S. Supreme court reverses recount ruling")... with your Florida and your supreme court of kangaroos... now the U.S. must shut up forever"
The (anti-)hero's principal competitor "got rich selling for the CIA", but then the conversation goes on to say that times have changed and gunrunning isn't political anymore. Imo this is as close as they could get to the truth without being censored, and still - later they mention the government using such independants to do its dirty work. Also here is a quote from the protagonist: " The biggest arms dealer in the world is (...) the president of the United States, who ships more in a day than I do in a year".
Yeah, I know, none of that is particularly groundbreaking, but to unaware audiences it could provide clues to the real actions of the government, and maybe encourage them to dig a bit.
Also this, which appears just before the credits: That the 5 major arms dealers in the world are the U.S., the U.K., Russia, France and China - and those also happen to be the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. Hmm.
As for the psychological thread, it could be understood as the principal character being a souled being who forgot about his soul (the "used gun" incident and a few other instances where he acts rather humanly), or else as an OP with human-like social programming, compared to his souled brother. There is interesting psychological progression - mostly downwards.
The protagonist receives a series of wake-up calls, that show him the uses his merchandise is put to. First he sees a young boy shot by a summary execution plot in Lebanon; later when Baptiste shows him his army of children soldiers. Then, in Liberia still, when he is given a taste of "brown-brown" and the resulting bad trip. Brown-brown is cocaine mixed with gunpowder, that child soldiers are given to snort before battle in order to "make them crazy". the barman explains to him that he really should try it, because "It's your gunpowder".
But as he fails to heed the warnings... I won't say it so as not to spoil all of it. But I do think it is a good movie, and it just might cause a few to wonder what exactly is going on - though, of course, it's all in the details...
