I know the movie was promoting an anti-arms dealing message, but didn't it seem to glorify it just a little too well. After I first watched this movie two or so years ago I thought of how sweet it would be to be an arms dealer. Thankfully I don't think that anymore, but still; anyone have the same feelings on this? On the concept that it's an interesting movie but it seems to make arms dealing look a bit too cool.
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I'm all for dealing arms to the defenseless. Dealing them to bullies is another thing.
"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is spongy and bruised."
LOL. Yeah, it did make me think there could be some easy money to be made as an arms dealer, not a bad deal...but then you look at where he had to stay in Liberia and some of the other sh!t holes he had to visit, and that made me think twice.
of course this film makes it look really cool to be an arms dealer.
that's probably because, in part, it *IS* cool. being suave, leading multiple lives, rubbing shoulders with powerful men, flouting the law, generally being something of a badass.
BUT it also shows the personal sacrifices you have to make. he loses his parents, has to watch his brother die, his wife and child leave him and he ends the film alone. and that's only because he's unfeasibly good at what he does. more than likely he'd be dead.
for me it struck a perfect balance. it didn't show it to be too positive, which would be irresponsible, nor was it too negative, which is SOOOOO annoying and preachy. it showed both the good and bad elements to the lifestyle and leaves you to make the sensible choice: yeah, it'd be kinda cool, but would require too huge a personal sacrifice, really.
together the ants can crush the elephant.
Yeah, it did kind of make me think it could be a cool lifestyle.
Ethan Hawke makes a comment that I found kind of ironic. Something about giving the poorest people in the world the means to continue killing each other. Well, if they're dead, they're not poor anymore, so that actually solves their problems.
"I'm not A1nut because I'm normal...."
i am an international arms dealer. all my deals are booked in Washington, D.C. and, when necessary, approved by the state department. it's pretty easy to do. of course, the movie confronts us with illegal arms dealing. that's a different story.
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I did become an arms dealer after watching this movie.
Of course this was purely coincidental.
And legal arms dealing is a lot less interesting than what Orlov does.