Probably one of the most satisfying films you'll see in ages

Rating: 10/10 (28 October 2005)

STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits
A film charting the rise and fall of Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) an arms dealer, from his early days in the early 1980s in Little Odessa selling weapons to local mobsters through to his ascension through the decade of excess and indulgence to selling guns on a global scale. The film also charts his relationship through the years with younger brother Vitaly (Jared Leto), his marriage to perfume model Ava (Bridget Moynahan), his pursuit by determined but moralistic federal agent Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke) and his business transactions with a powerful African warlord (Eeamon Walker) and his psychotic son (Sammi Rotibi) that finally make him start to really question the morality of his work.
Cage is the lead star of this film, and as so is ultimately the driving force behind it. And that's great, because it's hard to imagine anyone but him in the lead role. His snazzy, edgy, downbeatenly charismatic persona fuels the film perfectly. It's even better that his character is such an interesting and thought-provoking one. The film paints an earnest examination of him, a man sub-consciously aware through-out of the wrongfulness of what he does, but also always on hand with a quick-fire justification of it. Whether or not these are really genuine or just him trying to cover up for the high-flying, money driven guy he is only the viewer can decide but this is what will make the film so engaging to some. It's also interesting how the film doesn't simply zoom in on him in a current storyline, but charts his rise from nothing up to when he was really somebody then to crashing down again in the years from 1982-2001. The 80s was, of course, the decade of excess, greed and indulgence where everybody wanted to be a success and wanted to have lots of money and material wealth, so in many ways as a character study it's very similar to Al Pacino in Scarface, as both are men who come from nothing but, in that decade, dream of the wealth and success that everyone else seems to have and are prepared to do anything to get it themselves, even by breaking the law.
Cage may be the man running the show, but everyone in the supporting cast is also flawless. Moynahan is fine as the kindly wife receiving the sudden shock to the system of what her husband really does, as is Leto as Cage's weary, coke-addled little brother (maybe even his best role ever!) Walker and Rotibi as the father/son psychotic African tyrants also played their roles well (amazing, since there seems to be so little of a real age gap between them) but really the best out of all of them is Hawke, who has a very well-written/conceived role as the federal agent determined to stick by his morals even when the best option would really seem to be to step over them.
In seven years of directing, this is actually the first film from director Andrew Niccol I've actually seen. Maybe I need a bit of time to get used to his style but this has certainly been one of the best films I've seen all year, a great character examination and a definite, eccentric Cage movie. *****