The Ax by Costa-Gravas (Le Couperet, France, 2005, 122 min.). A laid-off worker devises a novel approach to finding a new job—by “eliminating” any fellow applicants—in this mercilessly entertaining comedy from director Costa-Gavras. Based on a novel by American author Donald E. Westlake, The Ax puts outsourcing, downsizing, and other 21st-century business trends where they belong: on the chopping block. When we first meet the middle-aged Bruno, he appears to be a not-so-polished international assassin, but as he confesses his life’s story, we realize that murder is merely a stepping stone to a less (or more) ruthless dream: to rejoin corporate life. José García gives Bruno a bumbling appeal in his single-minded approach to avoiding “the ax.” The film takes the logic of capitalism to its illogical extreme. Description adapted from the San Francisco International Film Festival.