Lord of War (2006, DVD)

Standing in front of the automated ticket machine at the local movie theater, we were hedging on whether or not we wanted to wait two hours until the next showing of Red Eye when I noticed that Lord of War was starting in less than 10 minutes. I usually like Nicolas Cage, and I ve been a fan of Jared Leto since his My So Called Life days (anyone else watch that show?), so figured we d give it a shot. One day I ll learn to do a bit more research on the movies I watch. Maybe. Probably not though.

Yuri Orlov is the eldest son of an immigrant couple, moved from Odessa, Ukraine to Little Odessa, New York. They took on a Jewish name and life, and struggle to run their restaurant. After witnessing a Russian mob king take out two thugs right in front of him, Yuri sees an opportunity to make some money simply by supplying a need. As he says in the opening scene (in just one of many Nicolas Cage voiceovers): There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. My only question is How do we arm the other 11?

Following Yuri from the early 1980 s through the late 90 s, Lord of War depicts his journey to successful gunrunner, even as those closest to him pay the ultimate prices. His younger brother, Vitaly, whom Yuri had talked into joining the business, does what Yuri refuses to do: he thinks about where the guns are going, and who will be the ones killed by the guns they sell. His wife, Ava, whom he won by elaborate lies and deceptions, asks no questions, and simply accepts the lifestyle Yuri affords her, only requesting that he never jeopardize their relationship.

When the Cold War comes to an end, Yuri seizes the opportunity, and thanks to some family connections, quick thinking, and a bit of luck, he becomes the world s biggest gunrunner, supplying wars all over the world. One of his biggest clients is the president of Liberia, Andre Baptiste. Never before have I seen such a convincing portrayal of charisma, cunning, intelligence and insanity as I did watching Eamonn Walker as Baptiste, and Sammi Rotibi as his son.

All the while Yuri is moving up the ranks, though down the ladder of morality, he is being watched and followed by an Interpol agent, Jack Valentine, who is what Yuri calls the worst kind of cop: the kind who won t break the law to catch someone who is breaking the law.

The acting in Lord of War is top notch, and the story is morbidly captivating, but it s the moral of the story, the lesson wrapped in grim truth that I found hard to watch. It s a truth that most people probably know, but few choose to think of, if it can be helped. Though Yuri himself says it, if he stops selling, there will be many others to step up and take his place, I choose to be more like Vitaly, whose beliefs and morals made little difference to anyone but himself.

I waited a few days to write this review, because I wanted my over-worked sensitivity to calm down a bit so I could look back in a more objective fashion. Even though there is a well-known, often-ignored message in the movie, it feels rammed down your throat at the end of the movie. The Cage voiceovers grew tedious halfway through the film, and the numerous stories lend a disjointed feeling to the overall continuity, leaving me slightly detached and bored feeling. People will look at the subject and the acting and may find it easy to rave. Reviewing the aforementioned flaws, and the feeling of sickness upon leaving the theater, I ll leave you to go read other reviews if you still want to see this movie.


Movie Details:

Rated: R
Runtime: 122 minutes
Written and Directed by: Andrew Niccol
Starring: Yuri Orlov ~ Nicolas Cage (National Treasure)
Ava Fontaine ~ Bridget Moynahan (Coyote Ugly)
Vitaly Orlov ~ Jared Leto (TV s My So Called Life and Panic Room)
Simeon Weisz (rival gunrunner) ~ Ian Holm (Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Garden State)
Jack Valentine ~ Ethan Hawke (Assault on Precinct 13 2005 and Training Day)
Andre Baptiste, Sr. ~ Eamonn Walker (Othello and Tears of the Sun)