It Spirals Out of Control

Rating: 8/10 (10 September 2016)

Two childhood friends get together to sell weapons, and time after time they become tangled in situations that defy logic or common sense. The trailer showed what looked like a silly series of situations which could have easily been a mad cap comedy a la "hangover". I thought it was just a crazy fabrication that was just going to offer strident, off color and dumb jokes. Mercifully, we end up with a solid film based on real life events that appear incredible when they're introduced, and things become stranger by the minute.
The first half of the film introduces the two main characters, one a young man who is a bit lost and can't find a break which will give financial security so he can leave his massage business. The other is a childhood friend who got them both arrested when they were in middle school and has stayed away for a dozen years or so. When he returns, there are signs that there might be a repeat play. Warnings are offered, but the pressure is on, and the pay off looks too good to pass.
Somehow the two men manage to come through a suicidal mission to deliver some missions to Iraq. Luck plays a good part in their success, and it leads them to think they might able to raise the stakes next time. Things pick up speed, connections are made, and deals are made. Yet, we know there will be complications when greed and ego raise their ugly faces. People are betrayed, deals go unfinished, and the whole thing goes sour.
It'd not be fair to reveal the way the events unfold because it's an important part of the plot. It just seems unbelievable. What carries the film is the way the film is cast. Miles and Jonas are perfect as the mismatched couple, and I wonder if Jonas decided to go all in to give his character a repulsive look which matches the character's personality. He looks unkempt, with a wild look, a couple of days' beard growth, and a very strange laugh, a combination of nervousness and mockery.
Bradley Cooper has a dazzling cameo as one of the most wanted criminals on the government's list, showing a new side to his growing list of acting successes. He does a very convincing job as the sneaky, shady man who becomes part of the equation.
Go and learn how some business transactions took place, and how sometimes reality beats anything Hollywood could have come up with.