Lord of War
One in every 12 people worldwide own a firearm. Uri Orlov would like to find a way to arm the other 11.
Beginning in the early 1980’s, Uri Orlov (Nicholas Cage) is a Russian born immigrant struggling to get by in New York. He’s working at his parent’s deli and staring off at billboards of his dreamgirl who has busted out of Little Odessa and become a supermodel. Life isn’t going according to plan, until a solution pops into his head. Guns. There is always someone who needs a gun.
Lord of War chronicles arms dealer Uri Orlov as he goes from a small time gun runner selling Uzis to local gangsters, to one of the largest arms dealers in the world providing unlimited firepower to some of the most oppresive regimes. He’s selling small arms, tanks, and even attack helicopters to anyone in need. There is no morality to his selling; it’s whoever has the cash. He even explains that he would have sold guns to Osama Bin Laden, but his checks were known to bounce.
Throughout his globetrotting, he’s sidetracked by an aggressive Interpol agent (Ethan Hawke), who is determined to catch Orlov. Rival arms dealers are also after the sly protagonist and even attempt to take his life. But perhaps his biggest ailment is his family. His now supermodel wife Ava Fontaine (Bridget Moynahan), slowly sees through his lies and deceit that have left her and their son feeling neglected.
Lord of War is a black comedy that uses Cage’s witty interpretation of Orlov as a vehicle to explain the ruthless arms dealing business. The film is both profound and absurd. From bikini clad babes showcasing the newest weapons at a convention to the son of the Liberian dictator requests the “gun of Rambo” from Orlov during a visit (which he complies). One the most intriguing element of the film is the fact that the Uri Orlov character not only comes across as human, but as a hero at times despite his ruthless business antics.
But the main theme to Lord of War is that of consequences. Orlov works in the mindset that he is simply a means for the buyers. That he just sells weapons, and what someone does with those weapons is of no bearing on his conscience. That if he was not there to sell those weapons, someone else would step in his place. Perhaps that is all true, but Cage’s actions do have consequences. Consequences for the victims of those guns, as well as for his family.
Politically, the movie makes a lot of profound statements. It’s a satire of sorts on how violent mankind is. How little many in this world value human life. It also makes thought provoking statements on governments. Orlov is ultimately untouchable as the United States needs him to provide weapons to those that they can’t for political reasons. It clearly points out that the five biggest arms dealers in the world are China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, and the United States. That what he sells in one year doesn’t come close to what the U.S. government sells in one day.
I was fully entrenched from start to finish in Lord of War. The movie not only succeeds as a dark comedy, but as a political commentary. Based on the life of Russian arms dealer Victor Bout, it was fully endorsed by Amnesty International for bringing to light the damaging effects of illegal arms dealing. The quote from the film that sums up this picture best goes, “They say evil prevails when good men fail to act. They should say ‘evil prevails”. Lord of War is a film that will have you thinking well past the two hours it takes to watch.
4.5 Stars 
Bonus: Netflix only sent Disc One of this set. Unfortunately, there were no bonus features on this DVD. I’m certain the second disc provides a lot of special features, but is not available when renting through Netflix.
