The movie tells a dashed American Dream. It is based on the true story of two ordinary young men, Efraim and David, who almost made hundreds of millions by gaming the U.S. government. The movie sets the context in the second Iraq war. Because of Dick Cheney nepotism scandal, the Pentagon forced the military to award some procurement deals to small contractors. This is the gold mine for Efraim and David. By acting as shrew middlemen, they made their fortune quickly. But the endless greed of Efraim eventually spells their fall.
The movie is very entertaining. It hits the soft spots of American psyche: make it big and fast, by taking endless risk. Neither men were born rich or talented. But they have the ambition to adventure for big fortune. When facing trouble, they put their lives online to get things done: drive all the way through the dead triangle of the war zone to deliver the full truck of guns.
Things fell part when they tried to pull off their biggest deal from the Afganstan war. It started from Efraim, a Machiavelli by nature, who tried to cut out the original broker and shortcut the Albanian supplier. Neither manoeuver was necessary. But he was so drunk in greed, because he has always been able to get away. This time is different and disastrous: the unpaid supplier informed the government about the fraud. Behind the bar, Efraim must be wondering: had he paid 20 thousand dollars, they could have made hundreds of billions.
Yes, with all the doggy dealings, the audience may left wondering the same question. But Hollywood cannot bear with such a political incorrect case. The movie ends with rewarding David for his decency—a lame ending.
THOSE GOOD TIMES 