Lacks Courage

Rating: Null/10 (26 September 2005)

Saga of an arms dealer who gains the world but loses his soul. The movie is attempting, I think, a black comedy along the lines of THREE KINGS, but this is far less tonally controlled: I never once believed that the sardonic narrator was the same Cage as the rationalizing protagonist, nor did I believe the man we were seeing would ever surround himself with the wounded ducklings Cage did. (More irritatingly, these wounded ducklings  Cage's beautiful, hapless wife Bridget Moynihan and drug-addicted brother/sometimes partner Leto  are there just to preach the message that Arms Dealing is Bad. As though there's anyone out there who thinks Arms Dealing is Good.) This is a movie that fundamentally lacks courage, that is so intent on moralisms that it betrays it's own source material. A truly serious movie about arms dealers would no doubt be the blackest of black comedies: perhaps Hollywood isn't the place to look for that.
Some good moments, a knockout opening title sequence, and a good performance from Cage make this watchable, but I wouldn't make a special trip.