Lord of War: Movie Review

Lord of War is another DVD I would have never picked out but ended up watching because my husband ordered it. From the opening sequence where the camera follows a bullet from the manufacturing plant to its intended target, in this case a young boy, to the closing credits, I was fully engaged. Lord of War received mediocre reviews but my thumbs are pointing up.

As a member of the gentler sex and mother of two children, I am against violence and disapprove of most violent movies. And Lord of War is bloody. Just the name alone, Lord of War, says the movie is going to be violent. But this movie is violent with a purpose. The violence isn't gratuitous; instead it is used brilliantly by director Andrew Niccol to make his point. Some movies, such as Saving Private Ryan, need violence. Sure they could be toned down but the sobering reality of the violence in these movies may wake us up and at the very least, they do get us thinking.

Nicholas Cage stars in Lord of War as Yuri Orlov a Russian immigrant who turns to gunrunning after witnessing a gang shooting in New York. This didn't seem like a strong enough reason for Yuri to turn to a life of arms trading and felt convoluted to me. The story is supposed to be based on true events and I don't know how much is fictionalized but this part didn't have the heft I felt it should have as a turning point in this man's life. Nicholas Cage does an otherwise excellent job throughout the movie portraying Yuri as a typical, dark, Nicholas Cage type character.

Yuri enlists his brother Vitaly (Jared Leto) into the business but squeamishness against the violence and a debilitating cocaine addiction keep Vitaly out of the action. Ethan Hawk plays an Interpol agent who spends years tracking Yuri but is never able to catch him. Bridget Moynahan plays the lovely Ava, the woman Yuri tricks into falling in love with him. Eamonn Walker is chilling as Andrew Baptiste Sr., the African Dictator who scares even Yuri.

The various relationships Yuri has with the other characters are fascinating. His humanity hangs on a thin line and while he's despicable, on some level I wanted him to do the right thing and find peace. When he comes face to face with a massacre that will happen if his deal goes through, Yuri struggles with his choice. I won't spoil the decision but Nicholas Cage made his unlovable character someone I cared about and that's a tough thing to pull off.

Lord of War is described as a dark comedy by some and does have some funny moments. Not laugh out loud moments but rather more sarcastic lines. I liked the banter between Yuri and Baptiste where Baptiste uses the term "bath of blood" and Yuri corrects him, "It's bloodbath." Baptiste replies, "I prefer it my way." Then later he uses the term "lord of war". Again, Yuri corrects him, "It's warlord." Baptiste again replies, "I prefer it my way." The delivery is perfect.

Take the R rating of this movie seriously; Lord of War is not suitable for children. The violence is graphic and more disturbing, the violence mirrors what is going on today in Africa. Because massacres such as those portrayed in Lord of War are currently going on in places such as Sudan right now makes this film important and justifies the use of graphic violence in this movie.