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Movie Review - Lord of War (2005)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Andrew Niccol |
| Starring: |
Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto, Ethan Hawke, and Bridget Moynahan |
| Rated: |
R (Violence, drugs, language, sexual situations) |
| Length: |
122 minutes |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Tagline: |
First rule of gunrunning: never get shot with your own merchandise." |
| Studio: |
Lions Gate Films |
| Website: |
Lord of War |
| Release: |
September 16, 2005 |
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PLOT
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Yuri Orlov (Cage) decides the family restaurant business just isn't going to cut it. When
he witnesses a Russian mob hit, it dawns on him that there are plenty of people out there
who need guns and gun accessories. He works his way up in the gunrunning world with the help
of his brother Vitaly (Leto, AKA Jordan Catalano from My So-Called Life), supplying
arms to the most ruthless dictators as well as the US government. Interpol agent Jack
Valentine (Hawke) knows Orlov is dirty and is relentless in his efforts to find the evidence
needed to put him away. A whole lotta guns ensue.
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STEPH'S TAKE
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My incredible lack of desire to write this review makes me not at all envious of the
Herculean task Johnny has of writing so many reviews. I think I regret the choice I
made of seeing this movie rather than watching Johnny kick softball booty.
The movie held my interest, though I don't know how I should feel about it. Methinks the
epilogue explaining that 1. the movie is based on actual events, 2. the US is among the
countries that sell the most arms, and 3. those countries just happen to be on the UN
Security Council, is supposed to make us think the United States is evil. Whatever. I
found myself wanting to wheel and deal for a gun myself to take care of the "We're
gonna talk a whole lot in regular voices" crowd sitting ahead of me in the theater.
I can say the guys should be pleased that they get to ogle Bridget Moynahan (despite her
pathetic attempt at pity, claiming at one point, "I'm not that pretty anymore," when she
looks just as lovely as she always has). By the way, she plays Orlov's wife Ava. I didn't
include it in the plot b/c I didn't feel like trying to work it in. Anyway, I thought Jordan
Catalano was looking his best, even when becoming a cocaine fiend. I can only speculate the
woman he found who he thought was "the one" was Angela Chase. Nicolas Cage is Nicolas Cage,
and Ethan Hawke is at his gauntest.
The movie's website claims this is an action/adventure movie? What a load. It's 95% drama.
Yes there are lots of guns, but that doesn't mean there are constant chase scenes and tons
of explosions. I think one of the most interesting parts of the movie was as the opening
credits rolled and you follow a bullet from its perspective from manufacture through
transport to its violent end.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- One of the dictators Orlov deals with is an African warlord (or lord of war, get it??)
and dictator of the country of Liberia. Liberia is a real country and is where Abraham
Lincoln wanted to deport all black people from the US.
- The character of Yuri Orlov is fictional, but the director says, "Almost all of the
events in the film have an actual precedent."
- I was gonna give this movie a 2.75, but then I saw the rating on this site for the not-so
Fantastic Four was 2.75, so I bumped this one up to 3.
- Although Jordan Catalano is hotter, Brian Krakow is the one for Angela Chase.
- Steph is not concerned if people don't get all these My So-Called Life
references.
- Jared Leto was in Panic Room with Patrick Bauchau who was in The Perfect
Sleep with Michael Pare who was in World Gone Wild with Bruce Dern who was
in Milwaukee, Minnesota with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin
Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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Mama would approve of not seeing this movie. GD's, F-bombs, etc. are in the arsenal. There
are a few sex scenes, though there really is no explicit nudity, and drug use. And there is,
if you can imagine, graphic gun violence.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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The trailer to me gives the impression that the movie is a little bit more fun and
light-hearted than it really is. They seem to have thrown in the funny lines and pieced
together any shot that can be construed as an action scene. That's not an accurate
representation of the film.
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THE GIST
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Lord of War is a serious look at the ugly reality of illegal arms dealing. It doesn't
exactly leave you feeling uplifted, but it should keep your interest.
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