Lord of War is Just Plain Wonderful!

Rating: 9/10 (16 September 2005)

I just saw this movie tonite ... 9/16, opening night in my area. And I thought it was just wonderful, from one end to the other. Lots of action, lots of irony, lots of humanity, lots of darkness ... for this is really a "Neo-Noir" film. And if you don't like Noir, you might want to pass on this film. But if you *do* like Noir ... I sure do ... this is just a wonderful, wonderful movie.
The plot could be summarized as sort of a "life and times of an international weapons dealer / gun runner." If that sounds like it makes for fast-paced action, it definitely does.
The opening scene ... with Nicholas Cage the weapons merchant standing amid thousands and thousands of spent casings littering the ground in a civil war scene ... is gripping. It's also a perfect segue into the opening sequence: tracing a single bullet from manufacture through distribution to deadly use in a street battle. This opening sequence seems to very effectively set the mood and the theme for the entire movie.
Nicholas Cage as Yuri Orlov is perfect as the very damaged merchant of death ... cool, cynical, ironic, engaging. This is a type of role that Cage has already given us, very successfully, so many times before, in Snake Eyes, in 8 MM, and more. He brings to this particular role a crisp energy and professionalism that are simply flawless. His ongoing soliloquy-like monologue is classic Noir ... in the very best sense ... and matches the pace of the film perfectly.
Jared Leto as Yuri's brother, Vitaly, is excellent throughout, in a role that doesn't get a lot of screen time, but which involves an amazing series of personas that Leto enacts with a compelling reliability that is entirely credible throughout.
Bridget Moynahan as Ava, Yuri's wife, is very fine in a role that naturally reminds one of The Godfather's wife; but which is fresh and believable at every moment in her rendition of this appealing and tragic character.
Ethan Hawke as the Interpol (?) agent turns in a solid performance in a role that had weight throughout although we actually see very little of this character on screen. The final confrontation between him and the Cage character shows Hawke at his best, and is a very convincing foil indeed in this setting.
The remaining cast are quite simply excellent as well, providing a wonderful array of fascinating yet ultimately tragic figures.
The cinematography is excellent as well, and some of the visual sequences are superb: as in the back-and-forth camera action on Yuri's son and his mother and Yuri's "base" hideout. Similar scenes set in Africa are particularly effective as well.
There's an interesting sort of historical device that we saw first in modern times with Forrest Gump. The entire story is stepped through the years from pre-Glasnost to "today" with historical allusion after historical allusion. We see depictions of Gorbachev, of Reagan, and of more chronicling the years from the 1980s thru 2001. The scene of Yuri sitting on a fallen statue of Lenin while doing business is one of many that will both please and tug at the heartstrings.
All in all, a fine movie, by a fine cast, with a great action pace, a wonderful plot line, skillfully told story, and an appealing darkness that is truly the best of Noir.