An OK movie, but nothing to write home about. The only hokie part of the movie was a chase scene in a bullfight ring while an event was being watched by thousands of fans---the site was Barcelona, where bull fighting has been banned since 2011.
I don't like Sean Penn's politics, but have to admit that he's a pretty fair actor. Does a good job in this movie.
The movie trailer is wrong. He's not playing a vet with PTSD; he's playing an SF vet with a history of head trauma which has caused a plaque buildup in his brain housing group. He's working for a British company when he gets into trouble.
You have to admire Penn's fitness at his age. He appears to really be into it.
The central theme is a condemnation of the European and South African Private Military Companies (PMCs) who have taken on European commercial clients who are having the PMCs do wet work in order to push the client's agenda politically and socially in Africa.
This is factual. Sandline, Executive Outcomes, Red Four and many other outfits from Europe and South Africa were doing this kind of stuff during my 14 years on the Dark Continent. One of the more famous of the mercs who ran these kinds of operations was Frenchman Bob Denard - whose nickname was the King of the Coup. I met Bob through friends in Kinshasa. He was a piece of work.
Fortunately the American PMCs mostly stayed out of Africa because most Americans don't know shit from shinola about the continent, and were leery of getting involved. US PMCs like Blackwater and Custer Battles got themselves in enough trouble as it was working for Uncle Sam in the Middle East.
In any event, both the wealthy European and South African clients and their hired PMCs are things of the past in Africa now that the Chinese are playing the continent's economics to their advantage.
For those of you in the area who may have some interest in PMCs, former BLACKWATER CEO Erik Prince will speak at The University of Virginia on 15 April on PMC ethics.
AginAf
This post was edited on 3/22 5:42 PM by AginAf III
This post was edited on 3/22 7:12 PM by AginAf III
This post was edited on 3/22 7:24 PM by AginAf III
I don't like Sean Penn's politics, but have to admit that he's a pretty fair actor. Does a good job in this movie.
The movie trailer is wrong. He's not playing a vet with PTSD; he's playing an SF vet with a history of head trauma which has caused a plaque buildup in his brain housing group. He's working for a British company when he gets into trouble.
You have to admire Penn's fitness at his age. He appears to really be into it.
The central theme is a condemnation of the European and South African Private Military Companies (PMCs) who have taken on European commercial clients who are having the PMCs do wet work in order to push the client's agenda politically and socially in Africa.
This is factual. Sandline, Executive Outcomes, Red Four and many other outfits from Europe and South Africa were doing this kind of stuff during my 14 years on the Dark Continent. One of the more famous of the mercs who ran these kinds of operations was Frenchman Bob Denard - whose nickname was the King of the Coup. I met Bob through friends in Kinshasa. He was a piece of work.
Fortunately the American PMCs mostly stayed out of Africa because most Americans don't know shit from shinola about the continent, and were leery of getting involved. US PMCs like Blackwater and Custer Battles got themselves in enough trouble as it was working for Uncle Sam in the Middle East.
In any event, both the wealthy European and South African clients and their hired PMCs are things of the past in Africa now that the Chinese are playing the continent's economics to their advantage.
For those of you in the area who may have some interest in PMCs, former BLACKWATER CEO Erik Prince will speak at The University of Virginia on 15 April on PMC ethics.
AginAf
This post was edited on 3/22 5:42 PM by AginAf III
This post was edited on 3/22 7:12 PM by AginAf III
This post was edited on 3/22 7:24 PM by AginAf III
