Lord of War (Full Screen) dvd movie.|
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List Price: $14.98 Our Price: $12.99 You Save: $1.99 Features • Closed-captioned • Color • Dolby • DVD-Video • Full Screen • NTSC In Theaters : 16 September, 2005 DVD Release : 17 January, 2006 |
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Lord of War (Full Screen) description The lethal business of arms dealers provides an electrifying context for the black-as-coal humor of Andrew Niccol's Lord of War. Having proven his ingenuity as the writer of The Truman Show, and writer-director of Gattaca and the under-appreciated Simone, Niccol is clearly striving for Strangelovian relevance here as he chronicles the rise and inevitable fall of Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage), a Ukrainian immigrant to America who makes his fortune selling every kind of ordnance he can get his amoral hands on. With a trophy wife (Bridget Moynahan) who's initially clueless about his hidden career, and a younger brother (Jared Leto) whose drug-addled sense of decency makes him an ill-chosen accomplice, Yuri traffics in death the way other salesman might push vacuum cleaners (he likes to say that alcohol and tobacco are deadlier products than his), but even he can't deny the sheer ruthlessness of the Liberian dictator (a scene-stealing Eamonn Walker) who purchases Orlov's "products" to expand his oppressive regime. Niccol's themes are even bigger than Yuri's arms deals, and he drives them home with a blunt-force lack of subtlety, but Cage gives the film the kind of insanely dark humor it needs to have. To understand this monster named Yuri, we have to see at least a glimpse of his humanity, which Cage provides as only he can. Otherwise, this epic tale of gunrunnng would be as morally unbearable as the black market trade it illuminates. --Jeff Shannon |
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| ♥♥♥♥♥ | How can such a bleak situation be so entertaining? |
| "Lord of War" follows the story of a young immigrant who becomes a dealer in a shady business, rises to the top and eventually faces tragedy and loss. Sound Familiar?
Comparisons to "Scarface," in which a Cuban immigrant gains prominence as a drug lord, are not far off the mark. "Traffic" is another obvious influence. "Lord of War" also takes us deep into a business where money takes precedence over morals. Nicolas Cage is Yuri Orlov, a Ukrainian immigrant raised in Brooklyn. After witnessing a shooting, he decides that guns are his calling. With help from his troubled brother, Vitaly (excellently played by Jared Leto), he eventually surpasses international arms dealers who shrugged him off as an "amateur" only years before. He puts it best when he says, "I sold to every army but the Salvation Army." Cage's performance is great and drives home the fact that Yuri is just a man doing his job, and what his buyers do with his product is none of his business. He's collected and professional on the outside, but it seems that he knows what he's doing is immoral. He basically ignores that thought and continues fulfilling his purpose, although he witness events that can only occur because of people like him, such as village massacres in Africa and the use of child soldiers (since an AK-47 is so easy to use that a child can handle it). Cage portrays a man who enjoys what he does, even if he is full of inner turbulence because of his occupation. He grows weary by the end of the 20 year period in which the movie is set, yet he's come too far to stop. Pleas from his trophy wife, Ava (Bridget Maynahan), and Vitaly do no good in the long run. Yuri becomes a lost cause, and an arrogant one at that. It's necessary to go into such detail about Yuri, since he's such a complex and charismatic character who carries the film along much of the time. The movie is rather dark, with humor that may cause a nervous chuckle instead of uncontrollable laugher. It's more of a satire than a comedy, as some people seem to label it. Rebellions are seen as business opportunities while peace agreements are viewed as obstacles. Yuri cheers and kisses Mikhail Gorbachev's head on his television at the fall of the Berlin Wall, which opened the floodgates in the Third World black arms market. Interpol officer Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke) catches Yuri transporting his merchandise several times, but no one is arrested because of a loophole, technicality or obvious cover up. The U.S. president is called the biggest arms dealer of them all and potshots are taken at democracy. This list goes on. "Lord of War" paints a bleak and cynical view of the world. Yuri sums up the theme of the movie when he says, "They say evil prevails when good men fail to act. What they ought to say is that evil prevails." There are times when the movie falters. It takes awhile to really get going and sometimes the characters seem a little too upbeat, given their circumstances. Despite any minor shortcomings, the movie is still intriguing, entertaining, thought-provoking, moving, and borderline brilliant at times. The strong performances and plot, plus a unique style, make "Lord of War" one of the better movies of 2005. Highly recommended. |
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