“Lord of War” is a one of the most compelling movies that really makes u think,...

“Lord of War” begins with one of the most brilliant openings I have seen at the cinema in a great while: the camera pans over a city street where the discarded shell casings of seemingly thousands of spent bullets lie and calmly standing amongst them is Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) the man who sold them. He turns to the camera, breaks the fourth wall, and ponders aloud. “There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other 11?” We hear the famous opening notes of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” and the most thematically important credits sequences I have ever seen begins. We bear a first person witness to the creation of a bullet to when it is used; from when it is first pressed until it is lodged into the head of a poor, nameless young man in a random corner of the world. Death is a business, made in factories and shipped the world over.

And we are immediately swept into a bizarre and gruesome world, the creation of writer/director Andrew Niccol, a world that is almost a parody of our own, but at the same time, too real to be a total fantasy. We are forced to sympathize with shady characters and evil men and watch morally wrong events occur while the protagonists look on with mild interest or glee. Those who do care are not the subject of the film; those who do care have no power in this world. “Lord of War” is a disturbing drama, a roller coaster thriller and a pitch-dark satiric comedy: if “Dr. Strangelove” and “Scarface” had a child, this would be it.



The story follows the above-mentioned Orlov as he becomes an arms dealer. He starts the film nervously selling an Uzi to two thugs in a hotel room and is soon shipping tanks to African dictators. Along for the journey is his brother, the dysfunctional Vitaly (Jared Leto), who finds himself addicted to cocaine, and his wife, Ava (Bridget Moynahan), who either believes Uri when he says he’s in the shipping business or chooses to look away. Pursuing Uri is a righteous ATF agent named Valentine (but there will be more on him later).

Looking over Niccol’s resume, I have noticed a trend: each of his films seems to, in one way or another, deal with the dehumanization of mankind. His screenplay for “The Truman Show” dealt with a man unwillingly being the subject of his own television show. His film “Simone” was about the first completely digital actress. “Lord of War” continues the trend. Orlov is a fascinating character because he treats his merchandise as if it were anything else, at one point comparing arms dealing to selling a vacuum. He is selling death. He is profiting from the human race destroying itself. It is made clear that Orlov is forcing himself to wear blinders, the less you know, the less it hurts. Note the powerful scene where Orlov returns home after a trip and visits his young son’s room. Next to the son’s bed is a plastic pistol. Orlov picks up the toy, stares at it and carries it out of the room. On this level, “Lord of War” is a story of guilt and tragedy. People are going to kill one another no matter what. Orlov realizes this. If he can accept that fact, he can justify what he does every day.

The character of Valentine acts as the antithesis to Orlov. He’s a Hollywood archetype, the straight arrow cop hellbent on catching man. In any other film, Valentine would be the hero and Orlov the villain, but “Lord of War,” like the best of it’s kind, plays with the emotions of the audience. We know that Orlov is wrong. He needs to be stopped…but we can see the appeal, the romanticism behind selling weapons. Being a cop seems so boring; Valentine is always held back by the law, and not matter what he tries to accomplish, he is outsmarted simply because, in this world, evil prevails. Pessimistic? Oh yes. Would it be dishonest any other way? You betcha.’

Don’t think “Lord of War” is all heavy, though. Actually, it’s almost a comedy. The humor is never laid on thick, but is funny in an satiric “Catch 22” style that most comedies never have these days. A running narration by Orlov provides a surprisingly large number of laughs, and many sequences seem straight out the theatre of the absurd: Orlov rids himself of evidence by yelling out “Free guns!” to African villagers. He re-paints the name of his boat to evade capture by authority.

“Lord of War” is the most fulfilling experience I’ve had at the movies so far this year. I’m bringing this critique to a close, but I still feel like I have so much more to say. I’ve yet to mention the brilliant use of sound and editing, the brilliant script that makes use of time and place or the performance by Cage, which may very well be one of his best (and one of the best this year). This is one of the greatest films of the year.

***In a month, I have seen two films dealing with Africa and it’s troubles. The first was “The Constant Gardener,” which was sympathetic to the continent’s plight and blamed all of it’s problems on interference by outside nations. “Lord of War” takes a far more bizarre take, making it out to Africa’s fault for being in it’s warring state (and doing so quite humorously and/or graphically). This makes both films unlikely viewing companions. Do yourself a favor and watch them both. My view: both films are correct.

© Written by Jacob Hall


Personally,... Anyone who is in love with movies with different mettle, should not miss this one. Its fantastic !!