Lord of War (Widescreen)
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Movie Reviews of Lord of War (Widescreen)
Movie Review: Arms Dealer in the Spotlight
Summary: 5 Stars
The last work about arms dealing that I grappled with was "Major Barbara", a play by George Bernard Shaw. It was a morality tale of a young woman, a Major in the Salvation Army, who finds her work supported by an arms dealer. Surprisingly, the arms dealers in the play and the movie have some of the same rationalizations for their work. They don't kill anyone. They don't start wars. They are only in business. If they don't do it, someone else will. Everyone does it, including governments.
So, not much has changed, except the venue. Shaw set his play in England. The DVD, written and directed by Andrew Niccol, is set mainly in Africa, in Utah made to look like Africa, with scenes in New York, and the Czech Republic made to look like the Ukraine.
This is a work of art as compelling as "Hotel Rwanda," and just as bleak, if not more so. It broad brushes Africa as the "dark continent" as much as Josef Conrad's "Heart of Darkness."
However, a hundred years have passed since Shaw and Conrad wrote about gun-running and Africa, respectively. Surely something has changed, has it not?
Maybe not. Shaw's arms dealer, Undershaft, is charming, generous, and ruthless. So is Nicholas Cage as Yuri Orlov. The world of both the play and DVD is a complex web of moral ambiguity, hiding the most murderous of crimes.
The scene in the DVD in which refugees in a tent city are set upon by wild marauders armed with machetes and the ubiquitous AK-47s seems more similar to what is happening in Darfur than anything in Liberia, where the scene is supposed to take place.
Africa no longer needs to be painted with such a broad brush. True, the DVD is about arms dealing, not per se about Africa, but still, give the continent a break. There is tourism. There are some economies that work. There are a couple of democracies. It is not all war lords. Isak Dinesen did a great job of writing about the beauty of the continent in "Out of Africa," albeit in colonial times. However, to include travelogue and contrast within the DVD would have not been feasible because the DVD is a thriller.
And the Liberian dictator played by Eamonn Walker is a classic character as well. But do we need another "Emperor Jones?" Probably not, but just the same, the title comes from the dictator's shaky English. Cage points out that when the dictator says "lord of war," he means warlord. "Just the same," says the dictator, "I like it my way."
As often happens in thrillers, the government of the United States is shown as ineffective enforcing the laws against gun-running, and actually supportive of it. It is true, as Cage tells the erstwhile agent who has arrested him, the government is the biggest arms dealer. I'm not so sure about Cage's further assertion that the government needs freelancers, to keep their fingerprints off.
The moral glimmer here is that Yuri, with all his wealth, connections, and power, still goes to Hell. What a way to make a living.
This DVD illuminates a business that is practiced, quietly, by people among us, who may look no different than you or I. Better to see what it is like than to be caught unawares.
Movie Review: Nicolas Cage at his best
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie surfaces the subject of illegal arms dealing. Yuri Orlov, played brilliantly by Nicolas Cage, finds his one true talent and with the assistance of his brother he sets out to purchase and sell weapons of all sorts.
From the depth of Ukraine immigrant status, Yuri Orlov reaches the top of his trade, supplying weapons to anyone and everyone interested in making a deal.
The movie is simply amazing. The cynicism of the dialogue leaves us pondering on, as Mr. Orlov says, the fact that a decent, honest job is done by too many people, with very thin margins, and yet, there are large fortunes to be made selling every kind of weapons he can get his amoral hands on.
Since childhood, Mr. Orlov has been in love with a beautiful model and wherever he travels, as he sees the tabloids displaying her image, he focuses in someday possessing this "trophy wife" played by Bridget Moynahan.
At first, she is unaware of what he does for a living, and he convinces her that he is a millionaire in his own right, even though he has rented the plane he uses to take her away from a hotel where he had lured her under the disguise of photo opportunity.
Orlov's brother, played by Jared Leto, helps him to achieve his goals, but he is disturbed about the consequences of the trade they are in. As he sees countless victims die under the fire of the very weapons they sell, he finds refuge in his cocaine drug addiction, to mask the fact that he is an accomplice.
Yuri's cynicism is brilliantly played by Nicholas Cage, as he traffics in the death of thousands, the way other salesman might push vitamins or something good for humanity.
Some of the very cynical statements are left for the audience to ponder on the fact that "automobiles, alcohol and tobacco kill more people than weapons of all sorts."
Yuri Orlov travels all over the world, visiting a ruthless Liberian dictator, played by Eamonn Walker, who acquires weapons to eliminate any citizen who opposes his oppressive regime. The son is riveted in obtaining Rambo's weapon and even this, Yuri Orlov is able to acquire for him.
In the end... when Yuri is put in jail, as he discusses his life with the man who has been after him throughout the film, he says... "My parents disowned me, my wife and child have left me... members of my family are dead... yes... I understand my situation." The reply is priceless... for the persecutor says... "I would send you to hell, but you already live there!"
While incredible dark humor is at play with this movie, I would highly recommend this film, for it surfaces the dangers of the arms race, and the high price we pay as nations continue to build arsenals of destruction.
Movie Review: Weapons Dealer
Summary: 5 Stars
Warning: this is not a war movie.
Nicolas Cage, plays a fictional, global arms dealer named, Yuri Orlov. What he does is somewhat akin to the black market, in the sense that he is not an official weapons manufacturer or seller, instead he deals secretly under the goverments noses. Orlov's huge stock pile of weapons mainly comes from military surplus and abandoned weapons in warzones. He bribes military personell including border patrols to run across to other countries. He sells all types of guns, tanks and even attack helicopters to any country or militia willing to pay the price. He lives in glitz and glamour, in a giant penthouse, has a model trophy wife and owns his own line of air transports, travels the world and makes tons of cash, and sometimes gets paid in conflict diamonds as a form of currency.
Underneath the glitz, glamour and allure of the lifestyle, Orlov lives a very dangerous and depressing life. He lies to his wife, by claiming that he works in "imports/exports", his brother gets hooked on drugs and has to constantly send him to drug rehabilitation, he and his partners are being chased by Interpol (international police), the mafia syndicates threatened to kill him if his weapon's prices were too high or didn't want to accept cocaine as payment, warlords and malitia got angry if they didn't get their weapons to execute innocent civilians or rivals. Orlov tries to mask his dark world, by trying to make his family happy and living in luxery, when in fact his life is a business of death. He is death's best friend and he realizes this. Orlov, trades his soul and morality for money. To him it's a dirty business but someone has to do it and besides...he is very good at it. Nicolas Cage played the part to perfection, the story was compelling and his narritive style just pulls you in. Great cast of actors in a very unique film. I think not many people liked it because of the slow pace. A lot of the film's time was lost in Jared Leto's character as, Vitaly, the drug addicted brother. There is the constant narration (by Cage) done in monotone voice which some people may not like. Also, some people may have been mislead by the movie's title "Lord of War" then expecting to see a war movie. This is not a war movie. It is a character-driven movie about an arms dealer and his dark journey as he loses his soul.
Movie Review: 2005's most politically incorrect film
Summary: 5 Stars
LoW is a literary masterpiece suffused with dark satire and gallows humor. To see what I mean, read the following direct quotes or better yet, watch the film (at least once)for yourself:
"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 eleven?"
"Back then, I didn't sell to Osama Bin Laden. Not because of moral reasons, but because he was always bouncing checks."
"The reason I'll be released is the same reason you think I'll be convicted. I do rub shoulders with some of the most vile, sadistic men calling themselves leaders today. But some of these men are the enemies of your enemies. And while the biggest arms dealer in the world is your boss--the President of the United States, who ships more merchandise in a day than I do in a year--sometimes it's embarrassing to have his fingerprints on the guns. Sometimes he needs a freelancer like me to supply forces he can't be seen supplying. So. You call me evil, but unfortunately for you, I'm a necessary evil."
"Of all the weapons in the vast Soviet arsenal, nothing was more profitable than Avtomat Kalashnikova model of 1947. More commonly known as the AK-47, or Kalashnikov. It's the world's most popular assault rifle. A weapon all fighters love. An elegantly simple 9 pound amalgamation of forged steel and plywood. It doesn't break, jam, or overheat. It'll shoot whether it's covered in mud or filled with sand. It's so easy, even a child can use it; and they do. The Soviets put the gun on a coin. Mozambique put it on their flag. Since the end of the Cold War, the Kalashnikov has become the Russian people's greatest export. After that comes vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists. One thing is for sure, no one was lining up to buy their cars."
Movie Review: Wonderful film
Summary: 5 Stars
Looking for an action-adventure shoot-em-up that features Nicolas Cage jetting around the world, battling bad guys, and getting the girl? Then you'd better find a different movie. Lord of War is as thought-provoking movie as I've seen in a long time, and I'm convinced that the critics that savaged it were expecting Cage's usual fare (National Treasure, Con Air, etc.).
I knew this movie would be different before it even started - in the audio setup menu, I saw the Amnesty International logo in the background. I'm sure Amnesty protects their logo, so I can't imagine it being there by chance. Another oddity that you'll notice right away is that Cage narrates the movie. He's not teaching, preaching, or anything close - it's like he's sitting with you in your living room discussing his life as Yuri Orlov.
This was wonderfully written. I'm sure that the Hollywood rule book stipulates a tale of redemption with clear-cut divisions between good and evil, but apparently the rule book wasn't read in this case.
Cage was perfectly cast as Orlov. Just the right proportion of dark humor and deadpan delivery will make you believe that the role was made for him. The supporting actors did a great job as well (Eamonn Walker was fantastic as the Liberian dictator). Orlov's "trophy wife" (played by Bridget Moynahan) was anything but a trophy - she came across as thoughtful, smart, and tough - not adjectives usually associated with the breed.
I highly recommend this movie!