The Acting and Direction Make Up for a Weak Plot

Rating: 7/10 (8 February 2011)

I remember seeing "Lord of War" once, but the temptation to go back and look at the scenes and the action was just too hard to resist not seeing it again. The acting by the cast and the direction by Andrew Niccol was pretty good I would've given "Lord of War" a higher grade, but there were some minor hiccups that lowered my expectations that this is a masterpiece of classic drama.
The casting overall was excellent all around. But the real weak link in the movie has to go to the leading actor. Nicolas Cage. Cage lacks in panache and drive for us to get a better comprehension to the character of Ukrainian weapons dealer Yuri Orolov. His accent was not very accurate and no Ukrainian was even spoken. Russian was utilized in the movie, but the on-and -off accent by Cage will miff you when Cage's weak attempt at a Ukrainian accent makes you unconvinced that he is of Ukrainian extraction.
Another flaw that shrugged me was that director Andrew Niccol who has impressively reverted back to the trials and tribulations of Russian Cold War dramas, but there is no real Russian language used in the movie as they speak very sporadically in terms of words only to more frequently speak English with a very strong undecipherable Russian accent. Therefore, the culture of the story is not very convincing in spite of the user friendly intentions.
The casting was wonderful overall. The one I was impressed with the most was Eamonn Walker's portrayal of Andre Baptiste which is a homage to Liberian Charels Taylor his semi psychotic presence was so chilling it will leave a lasting impression for a long time to come. One of the best props I have ever seen was his son's car which is made of pure gold and has a Kalichnikov. The film's locations and globe hopping in the style of Bond, Bourne and Hunt are so amazing, it gives you the feeling you're being dragged in for the ride.
To summarize, "Lord of War" was an excellent movie that will entertain you very immensely. Sure it wasn't perfect and at times some editing needed some work, but that could easily be forgiven. Even if you're not a action guru, you'll be impressed with memorable acting from the ensemble that deserve our applaud.