Cage's Performance Makes A Dirt Bag Character Actually Likable.

Rating: 8/10 (10 January 2006)

Yuri looking for a way to find fortune beyond his dreams, decides to turn to arms dealing. Supplying arms to every army except the salvation army. It turns out that he has a natural talent for the gig and brings his brother in for the business. Although when Interpol agent Valentine starts to shake things up, Yuri finds himself slowly losing his mind. Will this dangerous business ruin his relation with wife and son, what will it cost him to stop?
Andrew Niccol hasn't had a really good successful film as of yet, both Gattaca and S1mone had lackluster box office. Here Niccol has the support of Cage, who has a long list of films as of late. As well as a controversial topic, perfect for these times that we live in. Niccol does score with his biggest opening for a film and great reviews, yet the box office seemed to fade away. Well, with no US distributor funding money for this project, who could really guess why?
Lord of War opens with the production a bullet, going through every single stage until it reaches it's target, which is a young African boy. This is the best opening for a film the whole year. It's quite unique and ultra cool. If you went into this film expecting action left right and centre, then this will be a huge let down for you, because Niccol's films are about characters, and Lord of War is one of the best character driven movies in some time.
The main character is Yuri and Nic Cage hands in a great performance by making a dirt bag character actually likable. He gives the character a certain charm, as he does with every role. Leto is Cage's brother, who is a drug addict, going to re-hab to get his life straight. Leto does a decent job and in the last scene showcases the highlight of his talent. Then we have Hawke, who is surprisingly not in the movie that much. War is more about Cage's character and his life as a dealer through the decades, then it is about Hawke tracking him down. Hawke gives a good performance with what little he has.
If you are interested in the topic, then Lord of War is a great film. It will give you insight of what the world of arms dealing is and how it affects everyone. With every character driven movie, there are bound to be some parts that will drag on, and Lord of War is no exception. I found that when Cage is stranded in Africa and starts to really lose his mind, it was kind of dull.
Lord of War is really a film that you either love or hate. This is Niccol's best film as of date, with Gattaca right behind it. Ian Holm, Bridget Moynahan have small roles that play an outcome of Cage's character. But it's the ending of this film that will have the biggest effect on you. Love it or hate it, Lord of War has something to say and in these times it's best to listen to it.