Bulletproof Salesman

Pepper and Bones Films

Siren Visual

R4 DVD

Fidelis Cloer is a German who sells armoured cars to wartorn countries, or to anyone who feels the need for a high level of personal protection. He also sells cars to dictators, civilian contractor firms, and police forces. This does not make him a war profiteer as such although he readily admits that wars are his best business opening for new business. The U.S. invasion of Iraq, for instance, led to sales of over 1000 vehicles following the collapse of that country’s military and police forces.

He is open and honest about his work and his products. He points out that the old idea of “bulletproof cars” is no longer relevant. People do still take potshots at vehicles and will still hold up a “soft-skinned” vehicle if the opportunity presents itself, but his vehicles can stop anything up to an AK47 round (or, as we see in one of the demonstrations, quite a lot of them). With the increase in protective vehicle armour has come a change in the weapons used against them. Now his cars must be able to withstand blasts from Improvised Explosive Devices, the bane of the war in Afghanistan. These devices are using quite large amounts of explosives so the level of protection must be correspondingly high. We see one of his company’s test vehicles being lifted off its wheels in one bomb test, but the interior of the vehicle was not compromised. More advanced vehicles also now offer the chance to use internal weapons firing through gun ports to fight back.

The documentary is quite gruesome. There are many movie clips of vehicles being blown up and of the sad aftermath of the explosions. Each of these is for Fidelis a learning experience – was the vehicle armoured? How big a bomb was used? Were the victims killed by the bomb itself or by debris flying around inside the car? He tries to learn as much as possible from each incident so he can improve his product. There are cheaper armoured vehicles out there but his intention is to make the best regardless of cost.

He also must convince likely targets of their vulnerability. American contractors Blackwater in Iraq sacked a manager who wanted to order armoured cars to protect the company’s contractors and staff. Shortly after he was sacked a bomb blast killed a group of their contractors. At the time of making the documentary Blackwater was being sued by relatives for their lack of concern for their employees’ safety.

The main part of the documentary deals with his travels and dealings in Iraq, followed by the developing situation in Afghanistan. The latest problem is suicide bombers who can get close to an armoured vehicle with quite large amounts of explosive. How can you guard against these? He has had to devise a series of security measures that reduce the risk of an attack in the first place. His vehicles do not look armoured, unlike some of the American ones, so they do not attract as much attention. Dress like the locals for the same reason. He avoids travelling near military convoys or other groups that may be targets. In the event of an attack the safest place to be is in the vehicle.

Such is the nature of war these days. Fidelis is not so much a war profiteer as a car salesman. His story is fascinating because it shows in compelling if gruesome detail one of the little byways of war and how some people must deal with it.

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This review will appear in Volume 3 No. 4 of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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