Excellent movie with some intense acting in the smaller parts

Rating: 10/10 (22 September 2005)

Cage is good as usual but some of the best acting has to go to Eamonn and Robitibi who play the Liberian strongman Bapiste and his son respectively. I don't know that I have seen a more menacing and unpredictable duo. Their parts are well written and the scenes look like they were really shot on location. Both men layer on believability that is unnerving.
Leto, who plays Cage's younger brother is very good but has some scenes that seem over-written. He does make the best of even those.
I don't know whether to place this in the extremely dark comedy category or just straight drama. I think Americans are used to violent comedies but most of those are too unbelievable (Beverly Hills Cop) to be close to real life - however, Lord of War, like Fargo, are too tragically true to life (murderous dictators in one and psychotic killers in the other) to not be taken seriously.
I like that Lord of War didn't get too preachy. Yes I know the US and Russia and China really are the world's largest manufacturers of armaments and that is pointed out in Lord of War, but it is done almost (literally and figuratively) as an afterthought.