Film night

Tonight's film of choice was Lord of War, rented from our trusty corner DVD shop. It came out in 2005 and stars Nicholas Cage who plays an arms dealer:

"There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other 11?"

When Interpol finally get some evidence to convict him, he gives this insight into why he will be released:

"The reason I'll be released is the same reason you think I'll be convicted. I do rub shoulders with some of the most vile, sadistic men calling themselves leaders today. But some of these men are the enemies of your enemies. And while the biggest arms dealer in the world is your boss--the President of the United States, who ships more merchandise in a day than I do in a year--sometimes it's embarrassing to have his fingerprints on the guns. Sometimes he needs a freelancer like me to supply forces he can't be seen supplying. So. You call me evil, but unfortunately for you, I'm a necessary evil."

It's in a similar vein to Beyond Borders, (didn't hear about the release of this one either but maybe I missed it) but the moral dilemas set forth are much more subtle, and the only commentary is Nicholas Cage's character defending his position apart from the Interpol agent's odd comments.

The top five countries involved in the arms trade are also the five permanent members of the Security Council.

There was an Amnesty International advert on the DVD, which shows a shopping channel style selling of AK47s. Click the link to watch it.