Lord of War (Widescreen)
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Movie Reviews of Lord of War (Widescreen)
Movie Review: "Where there's a will, there's a weapon"
Summary: 4 Stars
In reading about the Third Reich (which I've done quite a bit, even though it's not the most pleasant subject matter), one element I noticed running through many commentaries was that of the banality of evil, referring to the strange tendency of the most ruthless Nazi functionaries to be regular people who went about their jobs the way most of the rest of us do, with little if any thought given to the massive human suffering involved. Sadly, that's usually the way it is: evil is good at hiding. The most morally bankrupt people-gansters, tyrants, drug lords, U.S. Senators-generally aren't raving, slobbering maniacs, but instead can often be found hiding behind nice suits and slick smiles. So it is with Yuri Orlov, the moral vacuum at the center of Andrew Nicol's frequently inspired Lord of War. This is some excellent political filmmaking: dark, hilarious, and unflinching, with occasional but suitably brutal depictions of violence and general depravity, all framed with Cage's matter-of-fact voice-over narration.
This movie basically does for gunrunners what Goodfellas did for gangsters: there's no real plot per se; it just captures several extended snapshots from a life and career spent on the wrong side of the law. All the basic elements of Martin Scorcese's classic portrayal of Henry Hill's life can be found here-the meteoric rise, the materialistic excess, the twisted characters and violent deaths, the myriad family problems-but Lord of War adds ample doses of the kind of black humor that made Dr. Strangelove and Fight Club such subversive classics. Moreover, where the power and influence of the Mafia have subsided since the events of Goodfellas transpired, this movie makes clear that the gun trade is still very much alive and well. As Yuri himself says late in the movie, his work may be evil, but it's a necessary evil, ensuring that business will always be good.
Played by Nicolas Cage in the best work I've seen from him next to his dual role in Adaptation (which was some of the best acting I've ever seen from anybody, so I doubt he'll ever top it), Yuri's a friendly enough guy with a nice deadpan sense of humor, capable of compartmentalizing his life to the point where he can sell weapons to the most brutal of dictators under the rationalization that he doesn't control what they do. Besides, while it may be a dirty job, someone's gotta do it. Yuri basically just buys enthusiastically into the capitalist notion of getting what he can when he can, without getting caught up in the tangled web of loyalties that characterizes foreign relations. After all, if people are going to kill each other (and they are) and someone's going to profit from it, he reasons, it might as well be him. The early going of Lord of War follows Yuri around the world as he sells to anyone, anywhere, anytime (but not to Osama Bin Laden: back in the '80's, his checks frequently bounced).
While Yuri himself is resolutely nonpolitical in his endeavors, the movie places his activities squarely within the changing face of world politics as the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union leaves a vacuum that Yuri's only too happy to fill. Starting with his first sale of an Uzi in New York's heavily Ukrainian Little Odessa, Yuri quickly graduates to wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan, hitting it big when his uncle sells him a mother lode of former Red Army stock. From there it's on to Africa, becoming the arms dealer of choice for a vicious Liberian dictator and his insane son (memorably portrayed by Eamonn Walker and some guy whose name I can't remember, respectively). Lord of War gives us a look at some of the nuts and bolts of arms dealing, focusing heavily on Yuri's efforts to stay one step ahead of driven Interpol agent Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke, all righteous indignation and selflessness, at least on the surface), but the movie is more a character study than anything else, examining the traits that enable someone to profit from the enabling of war and mass murder (to the extent that the two concepts can be considered separate, anyway). Yuri is able to succeed largely because of his unique moral flexibility, a trait that allows him to overtake former arms-dealing kingpin Simeon Weisz (Ian Holm), who's hindered by his pesky habit of taking sides. Sure, Yuri has reservations at times, but the temptation offered by a big score always outweighs the satisfaction of earning an honest buck.
Yuri is periodically joined in his dealings by his kid brother Vitaly, who's everything Yuri isn't: wild, undisciplined, equally prone to orgiastic drug use and sex and paralyzing attacks of conscience. As played by Jared Leto, Vitaly is the voice of sanity and conscience in a business that has no room for either, making him conspicuously less fit for the job than his brother. Yuri also winds up with a pretty trophy wife in the form of his childhood dream girl Ava (played by Bridget Moynahan, better known in my neck of the woods as Tom Brady's girlfriend). Since Ava's never achieved anything in her life beyond looking good, it's a rather thankless role, but Bridget does what she can in her few dramatic moments.
I must say, some of the more critical analyses of this movie on this site have left me a bit perplexed. Some people seem to be interpreting it as another hand-wringing "message movie" from the Hollywood left, but I don't really see too heavy-handed an agenda here beyond showing what an ugly place the world often is. If anything, it aims to illustrate the moral bankruptcy behind the lofty claims of those who proclaim themselves patriots, freedom fighters, or other such high-minded labels. After one of his deals leads to a massacre of Sierra Leonean civilians, Yuri muses that people say evil prevails when good men do nothing, when they should just say evil prevails. In a world filled with bigotry, hatred, and violence, it's not that hard to see his point.
Movie Review: Maybe 4 1/2 stars. Very good film with a great performance by Cage.
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm going to borrow an analogy used in the recent Supreme Court confirmation hearings for a moment. When Nicholas Cage comes up to bat, he frequently hits singles or misses, but when he hits a homerun, it is usually out of the ballpark. Cage has certainly made his share of crappy ("Gone in 60 Seconds") or mediocre films ("The Family Man"), but he has also, occasionally, made really good films. Films that he should be proud of. Films that would do a Nicholas Cage Film Festival proud. "Lord of War" is such a film.
Directed by Andrew Niccol (the writer of "The Truman Show" and the writer/director of the underappreciated "Gattaca" and the rightfully forgotten "Simone"), "War" is a dark comedy that falters only once or twice. This coupled with a terrific performance by Cage make it a memorable film. Whether it becomes a remembered film has yet to be seen.
Yuri Orlov (Cage) and his brother Vitale (Jared Leto) are second generation Ukrainian immigrants helping their Catholic parents run a Kosher restaurant in the Little Odessa neighborhood of New York. One day, Yuri witnesses a gang shootout and realizes that money can be had from selling guns. He talks Vitale into partnering with him and they start a business taking them into war zones across the globe. As the money rolls in, each spends on their vice of choice; Vitale starts snorting profit through his nose and Yuri romances Eve (Bridget Moynahan), a famous model from the old neighborhood. After they are married, the Cold War ends and business really picks up. A zealous ATF agent (Ethan Hawke) sets his sights on Yuri.
Reportedly based on true events, "War" is a fast-paced, darkly comic look at a man we should loathe.
Cage's performance is great. The film begins with Yuri breaking the fourth wall; addressing the audience from the screen, talking about his business and his morals ("I never sold guns to Osama Bin Laden. Not on moral grounds, just at that time, his checks were always bouncing.") setting the tone for his character and the film. Throughout the film, Yuri frequently provides narration which is light and breezy, a brilliant counterpoint to the subject matter. This also helps to make his character more memorable, because what he says is usually completely at odds with what we should be feeling or experiencing. Somehow, and I'm not entirely sure how he does it, Cage makes Yuri a sympathetic guy. Yuri is a drug runner who sells weapons and helps keep wars going so he can make more money. He occasionally uses drugs and also cheats on his wife, Eve. Yet, we care for him. When he gets into dangerous situations, we want him to get out safely. How did Cage accomplish this? Part of it is that we see him in dangerous situations. Other people die. The danger is there. Things happen to him. He isn't completely unaffected either. Because we feel for him, we laugh at ourselves for being taken in by this character which in turn adds to the dark humor.
Niccol manages to tell a political story, without preaching. We learn or witness as the story unfolds. The beginning sequence, a terrific point of view shot of the journey of a single bullet from manufacture to use also helps to quickly establish what Niccol is trying to do. He uses Yuri as his mouthpiece, serious at times and completely unaffected at others. Because we are watching the events through this character's eyes, it would be impossible for the film to be very preachy. Yuri wouldn't stand around and preach about this or that, so Niccol doesn't either. Even though Yuri frequently makes statements about his impartiality to one conflict or the other, his statements and what he witnesses inform us. Parts of the story are serious and others are satirical. Niccol maintains this blend well throughout faltering only a few times in the last act.
The supporting cast is good. Jared Leto is convincing as Vitale, Yuri's coked out, out of control younger brother. Bridget Moynahan is also good as Eve, Yuri's wife, who doesn't face the truth until forced to. Ian Holm makes a brief appearance as an old school gunrunner, Yuri's main competition.
Ethan Hawke's role as Agent Valentine is little more than a glorified cameo. Hawke starred in Niccol's first film "Gattaca" and I get the sense they wanted to work together again, no matter the project. It seems as though Valentine is meant to be the character who reflects was we should be feeling, the conscience of the audience. In his few moments on screen, he says what we should say; he displays the disgust we should feel. But the character is, as mentioned, only on screen for a brief period. Thankfully. If the character did work, providing a Yang to balance Cage's Ying, the film would lose a significant amount of its dark humor. It's a small role and odd that they would use his name in the advertisements.
"Lord of War" is not a perfect film, but it is a memorable one and it contains a great performance from Nicholas Cage.
Movie Review: incisive black comedy
Summary: 4 Stars
*SPOILERS*
"Lord of War" is a genuine cinematic rarity: a mainstream black comedy that doesn't soften its material or compromise its vision to cater to audience sensibilities. Nicholas Cage plays the world's foremost private small arms dealer, whose key to success lies in the fact that he never chooses sides in any armed conflict, opting instead to be an equal opportunity "merchant of death" to all. For Yuri Orlov, peace is the only real enemy, and if innocent people have to die to keep him in clover, well, hell, he didn`t make this world, and there`s no reason why he shouldn`t get his if everybody else is getting theirs.
Like a master chef working his way to the heart of an artichoke, writer/director Andrew Niccol peels back the layers of his story to reveal the truths of the international gunrunning trade. Yuri is a chilling and disturbing character precisely because he is so utterly ordinary and difficult to read. Niccol does not portray him as evil incarnate, but, rather, as a reasonably well-adapted family man who just happens to be good at what he does and has the requisite capacity for self-rationalization that allows him to do his job and still live with himself. To his own way of thinking, Yuri is really no different from the man who sells tobacco or automobiles - both products, he explains, that actually result in the deaths of more people than firearms - then goes home to the love and adoration of his wife and kids. Yuri doesn't sell arms because he had an unhappy childhood or out of any sense of entitlement because he feels the world has treated him badly. He simply knows that if he weren't doing business with these murderous dictators - or as they like to call themselves "freedom fighters" - around the world, somebody else would be.
Most of the dark humor of the film comes from the detached, flippant and unemotional commentary Yuri provides as the film's narrator. He is quick to point out the ironies and absurdities inherent in so much of the arms business, and it is only the gruesome seriousness of the consequences that makes us catch our throats as we laugh. And Niccol certainly makes it clear that Yuri is only small potatoes compared to the governments who put far more weaponry into the hands of thugs and mercenaries than Yuri ever does. That little detail, snuck into a title card in the final moments, is the ultimate depressing reality Niccol uses to bring down the curtain on his film. In fact, Niccol bravely refuses to "redeem" his character at the end. Yuri loses just about everything and everyone he cares about at the end thanks to his activities, but the world goes on and he's decided he's going to go right on along with it. And why in the world not? Selling arms is "just what he does."
In a very nuanced and balanced performance, Cage conveys just the right note of dispassionate detachment without ever becoming either too callous or too maudlin. Yuri seems to genuinely like people and obviously loves his parents, his drug addict brother, his wife and his young son. That only makes his ability to compartmentalize his morality that much more frightening. Ethan Hawke gives a strong performance as the Javert-like Interpol agent obsessed with bringing Yuri to international justice, and Bridget Moynihan is stoic and sweet as the beautiful young wife who is willing to turn a blind eye to Yuri`s activities for only so long before finally confronting her husband.
Funny as well as chilling, "Lord of War" will give you a whole new terrifying perspective on how the world actually works.
Movie Review: Business as Usual: A Peek at the Weapons Trafficking World
Summary: 4 Stars
Director/writer Andrew Niccol makes films with layers of meaning, the kind that find us laughing at inappropriate moments because contemporary life is like that: what on the surface seems like an entertaining story has very dark roots. His previous strange films include 'The Terminal', 'The Truman Show', and 'Gattaca' and now LORD OF WAR takes its place in that arena of black comedy. Niccol really releases his last spear when at the end of the film there is a statement 'Based on Actual Facts' and at that point the film takes on an altogether new significance.
Yuri Orlov (Nicholas Cage) and his brother Vitaly (Jared Leto) immigrate to the US to Little Odessa with their parents (Shake Tukhmanyan and Jean-Pierre Nshanian) who have posed as Jews to escape the Ukraine in 1980 - before Glasnost. Yuri is bright and sees gunrunning as a lucrative business and after his first tiny success in the gang infested Little Odessa, he convinces his dreamy-eyed brother to be his partner. The business grows exponentially as Yuri discovers his best customers are countries at war: in time he is wealthy, has married his dream sweetheart Ava (Bridget Moynahan) and settles in as one of the more successful gunrunners in the world. He buys weapons from stockpiled American ordnances after the US has 'finished' a war and sells them to Eastern European, African and South American revolutionaries. He is tracked/stalked by Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke) who in his role as a government agent is determined to stop Yuri's dispersal of deadly weapons that result in needless deaths when disseminated to countries in the throes of political change.
Though Yuri is first for business, he does care deeply about his wife and child, and about Vitaly whose entry into the world of wealth is soon squandered on a cocaine addiction requiring frequent detox. Yuri is not a mean spirited man: he sees his business as just that, salesmanship of items for which there is a huge demand and he does not see himself as the perpetrator of violence. His life has moments of compassion, many moments of financial success, moments of pride in being the gifted gun-runner he has become, and moments of introspection. He hobnobs with dictators, revolutionaries, fellow gunrunners and the law. The resolution of the story is not an end but merely a tapering off.
The film is narrated by Yuri and for the first part sounds almost comedic - until the visual depiction of the killings are on screen. Niccol appears to be showing us a factual business that is legal in the eyes of the government ('Washington encourages gunrunners to take care of aspects of world control they can't be seen as condoning') and it is his gift to drive his message home about how human lives are wasted for the sake of business and weapons proliferation. The film is painful to absorb on this level.
Nicholas Cage gives a powerful performance as the opportunistic Yuri and the criminally under-used Jared Leto once again proves his fine-honed acting skills as the drugged addled innocent Vitaly. Likewise Bridget Moynahan is excellent as the wife who elects not to question her source of wealth. Key cameos are keenly provided by Ian Holms and Eaamonn Walker. The film is rapid-fire paced, the cinematography is excellent, and the impact of the film is powerful. It is unusual for a director to take on topics this controversial and end up with a film this entertaining. Recommended. Grady Harp, January 06
Movie Review: A Sociopath on the Edge
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm kind of shocked to see poor reviews of this film here at Amazon.com. I think part of the reason some individuals didn't enjoy the film is that they didn't explore the depths of the characters very well; and this is definitely a character-driven film.
Nicholas Cage is perfect at Yuri Olav, a Ukrainian native who's family moved to America years before. They run a substandard Russian restaurant that serves borscht (beet soup) as a staple. Their father has become a devout Jew. And Yuri and his brother Vitaly (Jared Leto, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM) help with the restaurant. Then one day, after witnessing a failed assassination attempt, Yuri receives an epiphany: everyone needs guns. Thus the stage is set for him to become one of the premiere arms dealers in the world.
Against the backdrop of Yuri's life, we get to see the effects of his chosen profession upon his brother's psyche. Vitaly gets into drugs and women, anything he can to help him forget that he and his brother are involved in a business that allows people to kill other people. And when Yuri gives up gun running for a while, Vitaly too comes back to a semblance of normalcy. But when Yuri returns to guns, and asks Vitaly to join him, the stress becomes overwhelming (this is something that I have yet to see any other reviewer comment on and, the way Jared Leto pulls off his excellent portrayal of Yuri's brother, it's a pretty powerful message.)
I also think that many reviewers may not understand the mentality of a sociopath. Their moral compass is broken, according to our standards. So when Yuri (Cage) doesn't grow out of his morally ambiguous state, it didn't surprise me one little bit.
Also, Nicholas Cage is a deadpan actor, and that's probably why they chose him. Remember RAISING ARIZONA and the diaper scene in the convenience store? Or LEAVING LAS VEGAS? Or BRINGING OUT THE DEAD? Cage was the only person I could think of who could pull off a convincing Yuri.
I also need to comment on the brutal message that smacks the viewer. From the opening sequence in the film where we see Yuri standing in a war-torn street surrounded by a paved street covered in spent gun shells, to the scene where Vitaly witnesses the execution of children in Africa, there's not a single moment in the film where the biting reality of what Yuri does and how it effects those around him isn't displayed.
One thing that really intrigued me, too, is that I saw the film's trailer on TV long before the movie came out, and they always showed the bit where Yuri is in the airport and is approached by agents from the ATF, and Yuri says "I guess this isn't about the alcohol or tobacco." I laughed at the trailer. But interestingly enough, once that scene came up on screen in context to the rest of the plot, there was very little comedy in it and the message much more powerful and poignant.
This film definitely had it's comedic moments, but laughing at it is oft-times painful to think about because of what we see Yuri and his brother go through later.