Lord of War Doesn't Misfire

Rating: 7/10 (20 November 2013)

Lord of War plays itself as an action-drama, when really the action of the successes of an illegal arms dealer is shadowed by the meditative performance as a period piece.
Nicholas Cage plays a Ukrainian-American transplant Yuri Orlov who strikingly resembles the infamous international arms dealer Viktor Bout. Just as infamously, Nicholas Cage does not disappoint viewers with his melodramatic "bout" of overreactions and mistimed lines. This is in addition to the general feel of 122 minutes of Cage playing a character that he, for a lack of a better analysis, is not. Strength and determination is needed for a rags to riches story in the deadliest black market, and Cage simply does not meet the demands for such a performance. Poor casting, however, should not deter viewers from the commendable nature of this film.
Plot is very tight and carries the viewer along Orlov's journey, both geographically and temporally. Director Andrew Niccol achieves this arching dynamic with the highs in Orlov's private jet (with a beautiful and rich performance by Bridget Moynahan as Ava Fontaine) to the lows of snorting cocaine cut with gun powder (as an aside, the blue overtones in that scene were a bit overboard).
SPOILER ENDING Orlov loses everything. His brother dies, his parents disown him, and his wife leaves with his child. The story is then immediately cut short when Orlov magically continues what he is best at: gun-running. Lord of War is a good example at how a perfectly healthy plot line can fall apart in a matter of one scene.
Perhaps Director Niccol wants to stay true to the similarities to real-life Viktor Bout, but regardless, Orlov is kept alive and well. With so much personal loss in his life, he does not stop, hesitate, or even flinch at the idea that his job has killed him as much as it has the victims of his customers. In fact, Cage's performance suggests that Orlov could care less about his family, where the dialogue says otherwise. Orlov escapes to his bull market of Africa with a smile on his face, and a bribe in his hand.
Aside from the emotionally bewildering ending and Cage's equally bewildering performance, Lord of War gives us a crash course in gun-running in an entertaining way. If you're anything like me, you will want your own personal AK-47 by the end of it.