"I would tell you to go to hell, but I think you're already there"

Rating: 8/10 (10 April 2007)

For some reason, these days I keep coming back to the same films. Whether it is because of repetition of actors or because they share similar locations, I continue to talk about these types of movies. And I'll tell you what the reason is; it is that they deal with the same issue: War; and I put it in capital letters because it is definitely a big one.
Let me recapitulate: "Hotel Rwanda" tells the story of a massacre because of a big Civil War; "Blood Diamond" goes through the 'conflict diamond' smuggling among the War in Sierra Leone; "Lord of War" pretty much explains itself: it's the life of a Warlord. Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) is a man who does the only thing he is good at: dealing with guns. If he cares about it of if this makes him a good or a bad man lies in the plot for you to discover.
Though this 'job' has given him enough money to get the woman of his dreams (Bridget Moynahan) and support treatment for his drug-addict brother (Jared Leto), who used to help him but couldn't take it. I forgot about another film, "The Constant Gardener". When it comes to dealing with real-life issues, that film was better than "Children of Men", but not better than "Blood Diamond". However, "Lord of War" is above all of them; because it treats the issue right, almost perfectly: and that's its blessing.
Courtesy of dynamic writer Andrew Niccol, the screenplay of the movie has the main character telling us his story in the first person, which is a different and appealing narrative structure. This way, we don't miss anything and the script becomes automatically the driving force of the film; explaining everything in careful detail and providing a documentary feeling in the way it gives information; however never loosing the movie style.
This style is also supervised by Niccol, who wears the director's hat once again, but this time in a way that accompanies the fast pace of his writing. Achieving a better balance than in his last directing effort ("Simone"), Niccol's work is figuratively a gunshot, beginning with a wonderfully constructed first scene which follows a bullet that ends; of course, in a gunshot. But the screenplay is so intelligent and well based that it concludes in a film that escapes some conventionalisms "Blood Diamond" sadly had to take.
Everything feels true because it actually is, and that makes it less predictable and more of a pleasure to watch and follow. We get the experience of Nicolas Cage to make it all more worth it. Cage, and actor who apparently doesn't take supporting roles anymore is as well cast in this as he is in "National Treasure" or "The Rock" and in a romantic journey like "City of Angels". Here, he was also a producer of the film.
The cast also includes Eamonn Walker, putting in another great performance, you'll realize; Ethan Hawke is flawless as the good cop who can never get to Cage's character; Jared Leto is more than good as the loyal brother; and it is so nice to see Moynahan again: she is such a convincing actress. And "Lord of War" is the most convincing of films like the ones I've talked about yet.
"Every faction in Africa calls themselves by these noble names, like Freedom Fighters; I guess they can't own up to what they usually are". That's' one of the great phrases in Niccol's script. I suppose that what he means is they are just killers; and that it's a big word, WarStill.