"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?"
"Lord of War" is the story of a man who sells guns. Not just a Saturday night special now and then, but container loads of AK-47s, ammunition, gunships, armoured personnel carriers, you name it. Sure, he started out small, but when you're driven towards achieving a goal and have some genuine talent, the world is yours. Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) is that man.
Written and directed by Andrew Niccol, of "Gattaca" and "The Truman Show" fame, the movie is a sort of biopic of a gun runner. Based on a variety of real life people, the character of Yuri is one of two brothers born to Ukrainian immigrants making their way in Little Odessa. His brother Vitaly (Jared Leto) is the family ne'er'dowell, but reluctantly helps his brother with his fledgling gun business. Complications ensue for Yuri when he's pursed doggedly by Interpol agent Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke). His quest to capture the affections of his childhood fantasy girl, Ava Fontaine (Bridget Moynihan) also brings him far more than he bargained for.
Starting with an impressive opening credits sequence following the life of a single bullet from its perspective, the movie immediately grabs the viewer's attention, and keeps a surprisingly firm grip on it throughout. Yuri is a very personable character, even with his rather questionable morals, and as the movie progresses, even he begins to doubt his position. Nicolas Cage's performance is impressive, if a little underplayed, and the supporting cast all play their roles to satisfaction. The real star of the movie, however, is the writing - keep an ear out for some very impressive examples in Yuri's voiceovers and the interplay between Yuri and his brother, for example.
While there's a number of laughs to be had throughout the course of this movie, it also addresses some very serious issues, and is worthy of a couple hours' of your attention.
The R1 DVD was released January 17th, and is available in a 2 disc special edition, which includes extra features such as commentaries, deleted scenes and documentaries entitled "Brothers in Arms" and "Shooting Call: The Making of Lord of War".
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