Lord of War (2005)

In Lord of War, Nicholas Cage plays Yuri Orlov, a displaced Ukranian who grew up in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. In his early 40s, Yuri is a major player in black-market international arms dealing. We learn about Yuri via narration reminiscent of Ray Liotta's voice-over in Goodfellas. Both men survive similar experiences: rapid success, daunting adventure, cocaine abuse, and, inherent in their chosen fields of endeavor, much trouble. Unlike Liotta's character's quest to become a "made" player in the Mafia, Yuri doesn't seem to have any goal in mind other than doing what he does best: deal. Though at one point in this dangerous game he ponders quitting, we learn via Yuri's narration why he decided to stay in the arms-dealing game: "I was good at it." He is like an accomplished master chef who decides not to toss off his apron for to take a seat with patrons in the dining room. Instead, with the knowledge that it's hotter than hell in the kitchen, he stays put, knowing deep down that it is in the heat that he feels most alive.

The narration serves Lord of War well. Cage's voice is so matter-of-fact you would think he is talking about trading cars or memorabilia. At no time does the narrative prod us to chose sides. This is a wise narrative choice by writer/director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, The Truman Show), permitting him to advance the plot and action without overtly polemicizing issues or the story.

Another wise choice was Niccol's implementation, and spot-on execution, of the film's intriguing and visually compelling opening special effects sequence. In this prolonged opening we follow the path of a bullet from production to sale, to shipping, to re-sale on the black market, to re-shipping, to unpacking, to being loaded into a gun and into its final resting place--the body of a victim. The scene moves swiftly, compelling us to follow our leader, the lone bullet, on a high speed ride to an unknown (though anticipated) destination. Throughout the scene I thought of the adage, "Guns don’t kill people; people kill people." Indeed. The scene shows us that the bullet, in and of itself, is nothing but a tool, produced, shipped, and used, in far too many instances, by man against man. Niccol's take on the life of a bullet reminds us that history does, indeed, repeat itself, especially the life and times of too many bullets.

The majority of Lord of  War follows Yuri's dubious activities. 

Throughout his dealings a straight-laced Interpol agent, Jack Valentine (played by a scruffy-faced Ethan Hawke), pursues him. Though the agent is on the right track believing Yuri to be an arms-dealer, the agent is too determined to make the perfect collar--with all evidence 100% in order--to bring Yuri down. While Valentine's ulterior role in the movie seems to be to advance a liberal, anti-gun, human rights point-of-view, Niccol's screenplay frames this opinion within the bounds of the agent's tactical strategy to remain on a moral high ground looking down at Yuri. Yet, just beneath Valentine's rhetoric one gets the feeling that, given the chance, he would off Yuri in some distant outback--morals be dammed.

Due to Valentine's constant presence, and a momentary bout of morality, Yuri decides to quit the arms-dealing business. (Mind you, he "quits" the black market business for the purpose of getting into a lucrative business exploiting developing countries in other ways.) Naturally, this option to stay out is undermined when one of his former clients, the gun-crazed dictator of Liberia, strong-arms him into making one last killer deal.

Yuri's decision to get back into the game nearly does him in because Valentine finally nails him. But, like a Coney Island shooting gallery ornament, Yuri pops right back up--thanks to the contacts he has on all sides of the gun-running business.  

By that time, knowing Yuri's connections as we do, his escape from punishment does not take us by surprise. And, one is glad to see both Yuri and Valentine get their wishes: Yuri's, to get back into the game he loves; Valentine's, to move along to his next collar. Both men a bit wiser from their exchange.

Final

If you dig Nicholas Cage (like I do) you will like Lord of War. And beware: you need to like him, because this is a very insular movie without much to do with anyone else but Yuri. It does not have the emotional resonance of The Constant Gardener, but then again, that movie suffered from knocking one over the head with its messages. 

Lord of War avoids the knee-jerking, opting to let us judge for ourselves what's right and who's wrong.