主题：【文摘】德军“巴黎大炮”和它的难兄难弟浮沉录 -- 诸葛神候

Doomsday Gun

Starring: Frank Langella, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Michael Kitchen, Francesca Annis

Directed by: Robert Young

There was a time, just before the first Gulf War, when the United States considered Saddam Hussein an ally. During this time, Saddam secretly used US funds to build his military machine. One of the deadliest weapons planned for his arsenal was a giant gun designed by internationally renowned ballistics genius Gerald Bull (Frank Langella). This "Supergun" could have changed the balance of power in the Middle East―and almost did.

This is the thrilling true story of one man's dream to build the biggest weapon the world has ever seen―and of the secret forces that conspired to kill that dream. Bull began his project in Iraq after he served time in jail for shipping illegal good across the border for the US. He vowed from then on he would provide his coveted engineering expertise to any country that would pay for it, except the Russians. Despite being told again and again that Saddam Hussein is a ruthless murderer, Bull remains loyal to his business deal with Iraq. In his opinion, every country murders and he cannot distinguish the good from the bad. He holds no loyalties to the US, as they held none for him.

Bull is working under enormous pressure from Iraq to complete the gun and its smaller prototype the "Babylon" (named after one of the seven wonders of the world) in record time. As well, he finds himself under constant surveillance by a circle of spies―all of whom were ready to sacrifice Bull to safeguard their countries' interests.

Bull's efforts to build the "Supergun" triggers a series of events in which huge gun barrels were shipped into Iraq―despite a U.N. military embargo against the country. Throughout the project, officials from Israel, the U.S. and Europe scrambled to stay a step ahead of each other, and protect their countries' interests at all costs.

Jim Price (Kevin Spacey) is a CIA agent who is ordered to keep an eye on Isreali spy, Col. Yossi (Alan Arkin), in order to honour American and Iraqi political ties. The US supported Hussein in the previous war between Iran and Iraq, and they had no interest in upsetting their oil-rich ally with Isrealis who are worried that the supergun make be turned towards their country. When Price discovers that Hussein is stealing US humanitarian relief, funded by taxpayers, to in turn sell it and use the money to buy weapons to arm his dictatorship, the US still turns a blind eye.

The film reveals how Bull and Iraq dealt with the trade embargo put on Iraq by the U.N. (suppliers were told the parts were for petroleum refineries). It also shows how Bull and his company, Space Research Corporation, solved a series of daunting design problems involving the supergun from creating a reusable gun barrel spanning two football fields, to figuring out how to position the massive gun on a 45-degree angle, to successfully testing a prototype in time for an Iraqi "arms fair" coinciding with Saddam Hussein's birthday.

Doomsday Gun depicts the intense intelligence scrutiny that followed Bull and his enterprise. Amazingly, although the US, Israel and Great Britain were aware that Bull was building a supergun for Iraq, they were either unable or unwilling to stop the illegal shipment of parts to Iraq until the eleventh hour.

More than a high-level espionage thriller, Doomsday Gun is the portrait of a likable, driven man whose quest to "be remembered" for his great works ultimately led to dangerous alliances and, ultimately, his own death.