Miles Teller and Jonah Hill play two naive 20 year olds with ambition and gall to bid for small US Military contracts in the hopes of becoming reputable arm dealers. After a quick trip to Jordan to smuggle an order of Berettas to Bagdad, the duo land one of the biggest contracts, The Afghan Deal, which makes them not only rich but infamous. Guy Larson wrote the story Arms and the Dudes from which the screenplay was adapted. David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli took the arm dealing business by storm, characters that Miles and Jonah, respectively, bring to life in this funny yet seriously devilish film.
Based on a true story, the movie emphasises how greed and the American dream intertwined to make many people millionaires with the excuse of fighting for freedom and to expunge terrorism in the Persian Gulf. Using chapter titles like “Dick Cheney’s America” the film explores each aspect of contract bidding, the cost of running the war apparatus and the issues transparency presents when coupled with corporate greed. It is a behind the scenes look at how these two friends ended up defrauding a system that was designed to let anyone take advantage of the gold rush created by deploying so many troops at once to stabilize a region full of strife and social tensions. It was a losing proposition that made many rich and the rich richer.
As a story, the narrative is very entertaining and enlightening. Worth watching especially after the 15th anniversary of 9/11, the reason all this took place to begin with. Keep an open mind and take it all in. AEY Inc could be back at it in 2021 when their restrictions to do business with the government are lifted.
Enjoy!
Mrs. Enginerd - Nerd Whisperer 