Review Rewind: Lord Of War (2005)

(Nicolas's new wardrobe made quite an impression)

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, Ian Holm & Ethan Hawke

Directed by: Andrew Niccol

Screenplay by: Andrew Nicool

Plot:

Cage plays arms dealer Yuri Orlov as we follow him from small beginnings in America to bigger, more dangerous dealings in Africa.

Verdict:

The two main reasons to see Lord Of War are fairly straightforward. One reason is Nicolas Cage, clearly enjoying himself playing a role that is a perfect fit for him, with every word of his brilliant voiceover oozing with charisma, which is second nature to Cage when he is on this kind of form.

The second reason is, Lord Of War may well be a movie with a message at its core but it does not ever try to ram that message home. Just look at the brilliantly cruel opening credit sequence where we follow a bullet through production to the point it is loaded into a gun and shot directly through a young boy's skull, which is swiftly followed by our introduction to Cage's arm dealer Orlov, as he quips with a perfect grin about there being enough guns in the world for one in twelve human beings to own a personal firearm, and the only thing he is worried about, how he is going to get the other eleven to own one too.

A slight qualm with Lord Of War is the second half of the picture undeniably loses the fizz and fast pacing of the first half, but the ending itself is satisfying and somehow feels right even though it probably shouldn't; but then that is exactly what Director Andrew Niccol has achieved here, a perfect balancing act, beautifully highlighted by the opening and final scenes.

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