“THIS isn’t about being pro-war. This is about being pro-money.”
So says Efraim Diveroli, the smart-talking but dubious young businessman (played by Jonah Hill) as he tries to convince his massage therapist former high school buddy David Packouz (Miles Teller) to come work for him as an arms dealer.
The plot is one ripped straight from a real life Rolling Stone article about two 20-something men who in 2005 teamed up and won a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to supply the US army in the Middle East.
What starts out as two unlikely suppliers undercutting the competition begins unravelling as they get in bed with a notorious arms dealer (Bradley Cooper) on a terrorist watch list and have to personally supervise their operation in a remote warehouse in Albania.
It’s an intriguing, attention-grabbing concept but one that never quite fulfils its potential beyond a slick attitude, stylish direction and the I-can’t-believe-this-really-happened effect.
It seems to be aiming for a mix of Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (for which Hill was Oscar-nominated) and Andrew Niccol’s underrated Lord of War, but without the finesse and jaw-dropping shock value of the former nor the pointedly funny satire of the latter.
Todd Phillips (of The Hangover trilogy fame) exhibits a flair for high intensity hijinks and tense encounters, making you feel like the stakes are high in the moment even if it tends to dissipate when you reflect upon them.
It attempts to tie these together in the form of David trying his best to hide his newfound lifestyle from his concerned wife Iza (Ana de Armas) to whom he perpetually lies about selling premium bedsheets to the
US army instead of AK-47 ammunition. The film gets points for at least trying to give us an emotional tether, however thin it may be, instead of leaving us merely twisting in the wind.
But that’s part of where it fails to soar beyond basic, sensationalist roots. The real life story is primed for powerful satire but taking up much of the space is a rather generic domestic and friendship drama subplot that despite the best efforts of the talented cast just doesn’t satisfy.
And in what makes it feel somewhat like The Big Short for war in the Middle East, it has a frustratingly simplistic overall message with limited mileage: arms dealing is dubious and dangerous but, hey, it happens anyway so why shouldn’t a couple of guys get rich in the process?
There’s undoubtedly fun to be had; Teller and Hill give good banter and there’s a stylish intensity to the more outlandish moments. But when we’re dealing with such a dark and complex subject matter as international arms dealing and the morality thereof, you’d expect something that wasn’t quite so flippant.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here