It wants to immerse itself entirely in Agu's experience, yet the filmmaker can't resist standing aloft in scenes that underscore the soldiers' ages and their actions, and pointing out easy ironies.

Fukunaga gives the film a visual grandeur that makes it feel like it's taking place after the world has ended, and all that's left for Agu is this morass of endless, uncaring violence.

Fukunaga's hurtling camera and taut cutting keep Beasts of No Nation only just this side of hallucinatory, and Elba is the kind of titanic actor to kick it to a near-mythic level.

Disturbing and potent, 'Beasts of No Nation' benefits from Cary Fukunaga's tasteful eye and nasty script.