June 8, 2010 - Lord of War

Watched a surprising good-if-disjointed film.

(83) Lord of War (2005): Another Nick Cage romp, but at least this time it wasn't some silly treasure hunt. In this flick Cage is arms dealer Yuri Orlov, a Ukrainian who grew up in Brooklyn. The film is actually a decent tale about a gun dealer who had convinced himself that he had no culpability in any of the deaths that occurred at the business end of the weapons he sold. He was a total idealist who only looked at what he was doing as providing a service. After all, he wasn't forcing anyone to pull those triggers, to fire those tanks, to launch those rockets.

It got a little sketchy toward the end and got a real Good Fellas/Casino feel to it as the story became more focused on he and his wife. Honestly, it detracted from the overall film because up until that point -- about 90 minutes in -- the film had a brisk pace. The pacing the rest of the way was off.

Still, the story was compelling, decently told, well acted, and the production values were high. The money was clearly spent in the right areas. I'd recommend this film to most people. Minimal nudity, pervasive language in spots.

3 Stars