DVD Review - Lord of War
Writer/Director Andrew Niccol has crafted a fine character study of a gun runner on his way to the top (which happens to be based on a true story). Nicolas Cage is perfectly cast as Yuri Orlav, a refuge from the Ukraine. Yuri and his family got permission to come to the US because they pretend to be Jews. They settle in Little Odessa (Brighton Beach) and open up a Kosher restaurant so that no one would suspect that they are impostors. From early on, Yuri is very impressed with the Russian mob and decides that his future lies in the world of firearms. His younger Vitaly (nicely played by Jared Leto) looks up to him and decides that he wants to join his older brother's business.
When Yuri gets started he faces some stiff competition from top gun runner Simon Weitz (fiercely played by Ian Holm) but this only makes Yuri want to achieve more. Some of the scenes are hard to watch. We see Yuri and Vitaly in the Middle East as they watch the execution of two young boys who are shot with guns that they have sold. Vitaly finds this hard to take but Yuri explains to him that this is not their war.
In the middle of all this, Yuri meets Ava Fontaine, (played by Bridget Moynahan) a woman he has had his eye on since he was much younger. He wines and dines her but never tells her what he really does for a living. They eventually get married and have a son. But, Yuri is so consumed with his business that he often ignores Ava and their son, which will eventually lead to her becoming suspicious.
Vitaly decides that he has had enough of this business so Yuri goes it alone. He meets all sorts of dictators and madmen. One of his best customers is the head of the Liberian government. There is no strongman too evil for Yuri to deal with. To him it is just a job. But, there are people who want to put a stop to him and Jack Valentine (played by Ethan Hawke) is one of them. Valentine is on Yuri's tail and hopes to catch him so he can put a stop to Yuri's evil trade.
To say more about the film would be giving away too many plot points so I will refrain from doing that. I did not have any sympathy for Yuri and I certainly don't know how he could be so blase about selling weapons that kill people. But, the film makes the point that, yes, while what Yuri does is bad he is just a small fry in a pond of big fish. The US, UK, France, Russia and China are leading sellers of weapons and this is something we need to look at. Yes, Yuri is dangerous but how much more so are the leaders of the above mentioned countries.
Lord of War didn't do great business at the box office but I hope that people will see it now that it is on DVD. It is a well made film and it just might open your eyes to something that you don't really want to think about but should.
When Yuri gets started he faces some stiff competition from top gun runner Simon Weitz (fiercely played by Ian Holm) but this only makes Yuri want to achieve more. Some of the scenes are hard to watch. We see Yuri and Vitaly in the Middle East as they watch the execution of two young boys who are shot with guns that they have sold. Vitaly finds this hard to take but Yuri explains to him that this is not their war.
In the middle of all this, Yuri meets Ava Fontaine, (played by Bridget Moynahan) a woman he has had his eye on since he was much younger. He wines and dines her but never tells her what he really does for a living. They eventually get married and have a son. But, Yuri is so consumed with his business that he often ignores Ava and their son, which will eventually lead to her becoming suspicious.
Vitaly decides that he has had enough of this business so Yuri goes it alone. He meets all sorts of dictators and madmen. One of his best customers is the head of the Liberian government. There is no strongman too evil for Yuri to deal with. To him it is just a job. But, there are people who want to put a stop to him and Jack Valentine (played by Ethan Hawke) is one of them. Valentine is on Yuri's tail and hopes to catch him so he can put a stop to Yuri's evil trade.
To say more about the film would be giving away too many plot points so I will refrain from doing that. I did not have any sympathy for Yuri and I certainly don't know how he could be so blase about selling weapons that kill people. But, the film makes the point that, yes, while what Yuri does is bad he is just a small fry in a pond of big fish. The US, UK, France, Russia and China are leading sellers of weapons and this is something we need to look at. Yes, Yuri is dangerous but how much more so are the leaders of the above mentioned countries.
Lord of War didn't do great business at the box office but I hope that people will see it now that it is on DVD. It is a well made film and it just might open your eyes to something that you don't really want to think about but should.
posted by Film Fanatic | 2:19 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home