Ever wonder why your taxes buy missiles instead of hospitals? Pilger's about to ruin your day.
Britain is still a world leader. Indeed it has twenty percent of a world market, second only to the United States. And this industry is considered so important by the government that it consumes almost half of all research and development funds. Strangely it produces not consumer goods that people want, but machines that hardly any of us use or want to use. Moreover, for all its’ preeminence, its’ future is uncertain and depends to a large degree on secret deals with some of the most corrupt and brutal regimes on Earth. One of the biggest manufacturing industries in Britain at the close of the century is ARMS. John Pilger and David Munro look behind the political rhetoric and discover the world of international arms dealing.
Writing
Pilger's merciless narration — no punches pulled.
Direction
Undercover footage that shouldn't exist.
Director
David Munro
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was peak 'Pilger era' — when Channel 4 still commissioned documentaries that could genuinely threaten government contracts.
BAe Systems (then British Aerospace) threatened legal action; the film aired anyway. The 'D Notice' system was allegedly considered.
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