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“There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That’s one firearm for every 12 people on the planet. The only question is: how do we arm the other 11?” That, to gunrunner Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage), is an important question. His livelihood—and, at times, his life—depends on it.
Raised in New York by his poor Ukrainian immigrant parents, Yuri always dreamed of being more than just the owner of a run-down restaurant. A run-in with the Russian mob in his neighborhood makes him realize that he’s missing out on a great money-making opportunity—to cash in on what he believes is one of the fundamental human needs. So he starts selling weapons—with the occasional help of his drug-addicted younger brother, Vitaly (Jared Leto).
Yuri manages to make all the right connections, and his business becomes more and more successful—thanks to the number of wars and revolutions that continue to spring up around the world. He travels through war zones, and he’s on a first-name basis with the world’s greatest warlords. Still, his parents don’t ask where the money’s coming from—and he merely tells Ava (Bridget Moynahan), his supermodel wife, that he supports her lifestyle with a job in “transport.” But Interpol Agent Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke) knows exactly where the money’s coming from—and he’s determined to catch Yuri in the act and bring an end to his profitable career.
Since Lord of War was little more than a blip on the box office radar, I didn’t watch it with the highest of expectations—and I was pleasantly surprised. This film, based on the lives of five different real-life gunrunners, is suspenseful and action-packed (and often gruesome) as well as ironic and multi-layered. Cage uses his trademark dry wit to perfection to make the film darkly comedic—yet it’s profound and tragic at the same time. There’s so much to observe in this film—from the relationship between Yuri and Vitaly to the sharp contrasts between the life Yuri lives in New York and the lives of those in the countries he visits. And the twist in the end, during Yuri’s revealing discussion with Agent Valentine, will keep you thinking long after the credits roll.
Though Hollywood studios wouldn’t touch this film with a ten-foot pole and it had only a short run in theaters, Lord of War is well worth seeing. It’s captivating and eye-opening—and it’s sure to give you an entirely new perspective on the arms trade and those involved in it.
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