The title will make a hard sell of this movie. War is generally only a popular subject these days when set in the past or if a hipster like Tarantino turns it into a lurid fantasy, as in Inglorious Basterds – conversely, American Sniper, an outstanding movie looking at a soldier’s psychological trauma, struggled at the box-office. This is not about war per se, but director Todd Phillips, who has been bogged down with execrable sequels to The Hangover, might not easily find an audience for his in-your-face, occasionally grimly funny exposé of the international arms trade. Based on a true story and set in 2008, it opens with an itemised account of how much it costs the US taxpayer to have a combatant in Iraq kitted-up ($17,500). For any entrepreneur driven in equal parts by greed and an amoral disconnect from the consequences, millions of dollars are there for the taking. Efraim (Jonah Hill playing against type) fits the bill as the unscrupulous businessman, while former school buddy David (Miles Teller), with a kid on the way and making only small change as a Miami masseur, is drawn to the buzz and the undreamed-of profits of gun running. Both are opposed to the war – but somebody has to supply the hardware, and it might as well be them. It’s the ultimate in perverted capitalism, but initially it’s easy to see them as just a pair of gauche amateurs in a field in which right and wrong has no bearing on callous enterprise. Phillips draws nuanced performances from his actors – Efraim grows increasingly ruthless while David is becoming aware of the human factor involved in their rapacious activities. Blind confidence leads them to make a deal with Henry (Bradley Cooper), a mysterious Mr Big, as they strive for the ultimate payout from the Pentagon. Great location shots and a ripper soundtrack, used with restraint (Creedence’s Fortunate Son, as the boys flee a couple of utes loaded with Islamists in Fallujah, is gold), contribute to a terrific movie of provocation and depth.
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