“Lord of War” (Lions Gate Films)
Nicolas Cage stars as an arms dealer in the film “Lord of War.” He is so good at creating a totally amoral man that the movie adopts this persona and never shows any heart or warmth. This makes the film interesting to watch but impossible to enjoy.
Yuri Orlov (Cage) makes his fortune selling weapons to the highest bidder. He doesn’t care what war he is financing though he does draw the line at arming those fighting US troops (or so he says). He doesn’t see anything wrong in what he does but rather knows that if doesn’t provide the service his customers will gain the weapons from someone else.
Yuri also has a private life. He has a brother Vitaly (Jared Leto) who has a drug problem. Yuri keeps taking him to rehabilitation centers but nothing seems to help. They used to be partners in the arms business but the drug use has made Vitaly unstable and dangerous.
Yuri also has a wife (Bridget Moynahan) and son. His wife doesn’t know about his business dealings and really doesn’t want to. She lives in a world of wealth and celebrity and ignores the signs of evil in his world. Yuri professes to love her but indulges his sexual passions all around the globe.
Ethan Hawke plays Jack Valentine, an Interpol Agent who is constantly on Yuri’s trail. He is a strict by the book kind of guy who is determined to find the weak link in Yuri’s corporate structure.
Eamonn Walker is chilling as Andre Baptiste, one of Yuri’s most notorious clients. Walker gives a total portrait of an unstable, evil man. The scenes between Cage and Walker are the most chilling in the film.
The movie is supposedly based on a true story and it is full of sadistic scenes and nefarious plots. The problem is that it has no redeeming values. Viewers may search for a glimmer of goodness in this carnage but are unlikely to find anything to redeem either Yuri or the film.
The movie is rated R for profanity, brief nudity and violence.
Whatever the shortcomings of the movie they are not caused by any lack of talent on Cage’s part. He is totally into his role and makes Yuri a despicable man with a weakness for all that money can buy. Hawke, Leto and even the wan Moynahan provide excellent support. Walker is outstanding in his role.
“Lord of War” is a well made and interesting movie, but its lack of a soul makes it a film that repulses rather than attracts.
I scored “Lord of War” an amoral 4 out of 10.
