Lord of War Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)September 22nd, 2005
Lord of War - Fights for Attention, but Can Not Get Much
by Homer Yen
(c) 2005
In the beginning few minutes of the film, we meet a stern-looking Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) who stands among a thin layer of spent bullet casings on the ground. He looks straight into the camera with an almost patriarchal manner as if he believes that he is about to impart the most important message ever. He notes that 1 in 12 people in the world have possession of some kind of gun or semi-automatic or various other small arms. His quandary, which he approaches with the focus of a CEO of a multinational firm, is to find a way to arm the other 11.
The Lord of War is a film that mixes hints of comedy with splashes of bleakness. There are varying degrees of oddness yet truthfulness to the main character, Yuri. He is an immigrant in America, the land of opportunity. And, he soon discovers that there is money to be made in the arms trade. No, not selling just one or two guns to the neighborhood thug. He is talking about being an international arms dealer. He is going to arm entire nations as long as they are willing to pay. He cynically notes that, however, he does not arm Osama Bin Laden. As Yuri explains it, that guy always bounces his checks.
Life certainly is not easy. But through the years, he travels to the world's flashpoints. War is big business. And it is again odd yet truthful when Yuri is derailed when peace talks have started in a particularly promising market. It can be especially pesky when you are paid in pure cocaine rather than the preferred American Dollar. And it is not easy to arm an army in a short amount of time, produce bogus paperwork, outwit Interpol, and bribe officials. But, the rewards are outstanding, and his lifestyle and his creativity allow him to, among other things, live in luxury at a superbly furnished apartment with the girl of his dreams.
What the film lacks is character and characters. The peripheral characters do not energize the content of the film. There is a trophy wife (Bridget Moynahan), but perhaps it is just so that there is something beautiful in the film to look at. There is a relationship of respect between him and a by-the-book Interpol agent (Ethan Hawke). It creates some drama because Yuri needs to stay ahead of them. And, there is another big-dog in the arms arena (Ian Holm), but he becomes something of an afterthought as the film moves on.
The film has a muted message, only brought to light briefly when it is explored through the eyes of Yuri's brother (Jared Leto), who begs Yuri to see his profession more than just an exchange of goods. But Yuri sees it only has business and breezily justifies it. There is an outstanding beginning montage that allows the audience member to visualize the life of a bullet. It moves from the assembly line to the crate to the gun and then finally into its victim. The lesson is that the final product is death. And yet, oddly and truthfully, Yuri can argue that his products kill fewer people than tobacco and alcohol.
This film should have hypnotized us. It has the potential. But the film does not really take any huge risks. It points the gun, but doesn not fire it. Maybe there was not any ammunition in it to begin with.
Grade: C+
S: 1 out of 3
L: 3 out of 3
V: 3 out of 3
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