Lord of War

Probably the best movie about trafficking ever to see the light of day. Lord of War is very true to life and made with the precision of a documentary, covering the whole era of illegal weapon trafficking since the 80s. Our guide is none other than one of the very best “Lords of War", Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage). When we see him for the first time in Little Odessa he is a regular guy like anybody else, someone with dreams who finds out one day that he has a talent for making his dreams come true. So he starts dealing in weapons. On a small scale at first, but because he is good at it and also lucky, he works his way up to the very top. Isn’t time to start living your dreams now? Yuri thinks it is and starts. His first and most precious trophy is a woman of his dreams, Ava Fontaine (Bridget Moynahan), the type of beautiful model that he has dreamed of for years the part with the “accidental" encounter belongs to my favorite scenes in the movie, genius ;-). The cold war is over and business is running smoothly, life can’t be better than it is right now. But nothing lasts forever. Interpol is keen to get their hands on Mr. Orlov (by the way that isn’t his real name) mainly secret agent Jack Valentine who is one of the best in his field. But there is one thing worse than Interpol or military dictators. A conscience. Would they be capable of living knowing that they are responsible for the deaths of millions of people? Andrew Niccol made sure that the perfectly thought through story, based on true events, had all it needed to strike home in the viewer and make him think. Right from the start, the credits sequence “about a life span of a bullet" shows how hugely talented the director is, demonstrating similar qualities as in his previous movie Gattaca. On top of it all, great camerawork and superb acting performances enhance the quality of the whole experience of a movie about a man who made it so far that he lost everybody that ever cared for him, including himself. (08/17/2006)

Thematically interesting, full of clever observations and excellent directorial ideas, but so genre-bending that it's hard to believe. Andrew Niccol is a smart filmmaker who knows how to captivate the audience and sell his product. Unfortunately, in Lord of War not everything works perfectly. It alternates between sharp satire and dramatic storylines, only to be followed by a patchwork of family melodrama about the meaning of life, doing the right things, and not doing the wrong ones. Additionally, there is an excessive simplicity and corner-cutting in some details. For example, we don’t get to know how Yuri climbed up the ladder so high, where he suddenly got all the contacts, and how he could always easily outsmart authorities. The scenes with the plane disassembly are undoubtedly brilliant, but unfortunately, the whole film is emotionally lacking any impact, and the pace is gripping also sporadically. (09/05/2006)

At a time when the most profitable business is terrorism, such artistic experiments are very necessary. Andrew Niccol has once again proven himself to be a perceptively intelligent filmmaker who knows very well what he is talking about. Lord of War doesn't tell anything new, but with a great deal of irony it glosses the current international situation, full of military conflicts, especially in third world countries, and makes a lot of insightful and pertinent observations ("There's nothing more expensive for an arms dealer than peace." [...] "All right, forget it. I'll reroute the shipment to the Balkans. When they say they're going to have a war, they keep their word!”) It's just a pity that the film sometimes slips unnecessarily into family melodrama. Five years ago I had already given up on Cage, but lately he seems to have resurrected, going from one interesting role to another. Carry on. (03/02/2006)

Nicolas Cage has starred in a lot of good films. Nicolas Cage has starred in good films. Nicolas Cage has starred in bad films. Nicolas Cage has starred in a lot of bad films. And he has also appeared in complete nonsense. Lord of War falls into the category of good films, and it’s Cage’s performance that shines as both the narrator and the main character. His voice is just right for making you believe everything that’s happening on screen. And there’s a lot happening. However, I must say right from the start that the film tries to be overtly gritty; it aims to shock, but it’s not such a big hit in that sense. Lord of War tells the story of a man who essentially works his way up from nothing to become one of the best arms dealers. You might think that’s a dream job—lots of money, some action here and there, beautiful women, various corners of the world—but it’s not that easy. What about your family? What about the woman you dreamed of? And what about your conscience? Can you deal with all the violence you facilitate? Is it enough to tell yourself that you’re not the one pulling the trigger, that you’re not actually a murderer? (03/01/2013)

Film, which absolutely did not capture me, touch me, or impress me in any way. A two-hour journey of Nicholas Cage through the hotspots of war conflicts and his dirty arms deals, an occasional brush in a hotel room or a drugged Jared Leto, is not enough for Lord of War to be classified among quality films. The message of the film equals beating empty straw. The only shining points are Ethan Hawke and Bridget Moynahan. Quickly forget. (02/16/2009)