Our old friend Mr Cage takes on the major role of this tale about illegal arms dealer. Based on a true story of the convicted gunrunner, Viktor Bout, it looks at the world of arming the various armies and uprisings around the world. While you are watching this you have to keep reminding yourself this is a true story, with some of the more outlandish scenes based on actual events. Staggering.
There is one scene where Cage is stood by a long line of Russian tanks he has bought and is about to ship. It looks unbelievable to have that much military hardware in the hands of a private individual. In reality, the scene was real, the tanks belonged to a Czech arms dealer who had to have them back sharpish as he had sold them to a country.
The opening credits of the movie is one of the most clever I have seen in a long time. It follows the journey of a bullet being pressed and manufactured, through to being packed in a crate, shipped to a revolutionary war, being loaded into a gun, being fired and finding itself shooting a young soldier. Very sobering.
There is amount of humor sprinkled into the story line that keeps it entertaining and interesting to keep watching. Whether you have sympathy for our anti-hero here is something you have to decide for yourself. He is no saint or angel, but does have a loose moral code he lives by, trying to support his family without giving away what he really does.
Overall, a good movie and worthy of a watch if you are a Cage fan.
#104 in the series
Viewing Date
Monday, 30th November 2015 (Richmond)
Rating
6/10
alan williamson 