Lord of War 2005

A-

This is a fictionalized, but very realistic, story about an international arms dealer. Starting small, the main character (played by Nicolas Cage), is able to build his business until he is moving a significant portion of arms out of the former Soviet Union and into third world nations. In particular he is seen in Liberia dealing with a brutal warlord based on Charles Taylor.

By taking liberties with the truth (much of which would be unknown at any rate), the movie is better able to tell the story. While it avoids being preachy in any way, and in fact sort of glorifies Cage’s character, it seems to capture what is really happening. As evidence of that, Amnesty International endorsed the film for bringing attention to the role of illegal arms dealing in causing horrible violence in the third world (and particularly Africa).

I didn’t like everything in the movie, particularly just about every scene with Cage’s brother. But everything else is very enjoyable, from Ethan Hawke’s conflicted Interpol agent to the Liberian dictator to Cage’s trophy wife, played by the gorgeous Bridget Moynahan.

This is a very good movie, enjoyable on many levels. A-

Written: 21 Oct 2007

Owned on: DVD, Digital