What should have been a documentary ends up failing in its message because of poor storytelling

Rating: 1/10 (13 August 2006)

There are some films that disturb with their truth. Then there are movies that are trying to tell too much truth that they miss the mark. Lord of War is one of those movies.
I felt like the filmmakers were so busy telling the truth that they forgot to tell a compelling story. Cage was narrating through the whole film, so it was impossible to get into any of the characters. He and Leto supposedly grew up in Brooklyn, but were devoid of even a hint of NY attitude, accents, or mannerisms. I don't even think they believed in the characters. All the scenes were events from Yuri Olav's life that seemed to glorify the lifestyle of being an arms dealer, but they did nothing for the flow or arc of the film. Ultimately, this film felt like a glorified PSA on weapons trafficking, and could have been far more compelling as a documentary.