Works as an immigrants story and healthy dose of reality

Rating: 7/10 (2 September 2015)

Of course, Hollywood's stock-in-trade is fantasy so it can be refreshing to see it depict the real world in real world terms. Like "The Constant Gardener", "Lord of War" lays out the picks-and- shovels guys behind geopolitical civil unrest. Lots of groups would like to start a war but few have connections needed to men like Nicholas Cage's Orlov to bring the idea to fruition. Cage's natural neutral affect, normally a liability, works perfectly here as we see Orlov as the kind of mostly emotionless pragmatist will to engage in the dirty business of acquiring and reselling arms without regard to the cause they will be used for. Ethan Hawke plays his good- looking, drug-addled brother and sidekick and if this were a "Star Trek" film he would wear a red shirt. The movie does an excellent job of demonstrating the ruthlessness Orlov needs to rise from cook in his parents' restaurant to the world's foremost arms dealer and husband to a model. It also does well at demonstrating the pressures and dangers he faces in this profession and why he has limited ability to extricate himself when he needs to later in the film. The twist ending may not be for everyone but it is a healthy dose of reality to how things really work. In short, while it appeals to a limited audience and can be something of a "tough sit", it is well worth your time.