The film opens to a sea of empty bullet casings and a lanky Nicholas Cage in a cheap Armani suit sprouting the unnerving statistic of armed and potentially dangerous individuals around the world and how its his job to increase that number. If it was Niccol’s intention of arresting our attention in an apt humourous sort of way, I think he did a pretty decent job.
It is impossible to miss Niccol’s satirical style of storytelling. All of his films sport crisp dialogue and witty scenarios that makes one chuckle quietly to oneself in the that darkened theater. This is no exception. The thing that separates “Lords” and his other fare is the much darker undercurrent and a rather dodgy anti-hero as his main protagonist. Needless to say, this is a film about the multi-billion dollar, not to mention covert and highly morally challenging industry of gun running.
The nephew of one of elder Coppola (Nicholas Cage, yes he does belong to the Coppola Clan…) has a penchant of portraying disenchanted characters. Probably because he does it so well. Its like how Hugh Grant has cornered the market for the “mumbling bungling British aristocrat searching for love in all the wrong places”. Nicholas Cage has the unique ability to allow us to empathise with the character he brings to life on screen. The character Yuri Orlov is one of the largest arms dealer in the world, supplying weapons of mass destruction to the highest paying dictator hell bent on ruling his little corner of the world. He is primarily responsible for getting his younger brother hooked on cocaine and cheats on his wife, on occasion. But at the end of the film, the sympathy we find ourselves investing in is not directed to the ‘victims’ of his actions, but Yuri Orlov himself. The extent of Cage’s acting ability is that he is able to subtilely persuade us to voluntarily take a look at the life of a person most vile in the eyes of humanity and come out saying, “He looks like a guy i could invite to dinner…” I would venture to say that this role does not showcase anything new from Cage but it is still one of his best performances since “Adaptation”.
Jared Leto (”Fight Club” and “Panic Room”) last seen as Hephaistion, Colin Ferell’s ambiguously gay companion in “Alexander”, charges into the role of Vitaly with all his engines. His turn as the drug ridden younger brother constantly trying to escape the moral confrontation of gun running exceeds anything that he has done prior. He totally wins the audience over in the limited scenes that they feature him in.
Although this may be the most political film of Andrew Niccol’s repertoire, it is difficult to outright classify “Lord of War” as a political film. This is a slight departure in subject matter for this writer/director famous for his satires on human nature (”Gattaca”, “The Truman Show” and “Simone”) . I certainly would not deem this as Niccol’s best work but it is still deserving of a recommendation. It is a film that is best seen in a theater and for most, not a repeat viewing. I’ve been acquainted with others who would watch it trice just for Jared Leto (You know who you are…). This film will definitely float your boat if you are into intelligent dramas laced with tongue slightly in cheek brand of sarcasm. One last note, “Lord of War” is most certainly not a “date movie”, I pity the fool who thinks contrary, so either leave your partners at home or at least warn them in advance.
THAT sounds like my kind of movie and my partner’s as well.
So The War of the Lord , you got a date !
Comment by nocturne — October 7, 2005 @ 6:58 am