Lord of War is a curious non-redemption tale about Yuri Orlov (played with a likeably contradictory nervous confidence by Nicolas Cage), a go-nowhere nebbish from Brooklyn's Little Odessa, who transforms himself into the world's largest illegal arms dealer in the 1990s. Orlov is an antihero in the strangest sense: a seemingly okay guy who just fell into a bad business and became a pathetic, pseudo-sympathetic monster who you want to fail. As Yuri forever tries to justify himself in voiceover, writer-director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, The Truman Show) illustrates how Orlov's Third World dealings make it possible for "bullets (to) change governments far easier than votes." The film wears its politics sloppily on its sleeve, but it's also darkly comical in confronting the wealthy Western world's collective apathy toward impoverished nations embroiled in war—while underscoring the cruel, casual inhumanity of the warlords that rule them at the muzzle of a gun. While hardly a great movie, Lord of War is nevertheless a dead-on satirical snapshot of every-man-for-himself late 20th-century greed, selfishness, and self-loathing, that looks beyond the media's rose-colored blinders. Recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, or a two-disc widescreen version, DVD extras on the two-disc 'special edition' (the single-disc release is essentially extra-less) include audio commentary by writer-director Andrew Niccol, a 21-minute 'making-of' featurette, 'Making a Killing: Inside the International Arms Trade' (16 min.), seven deleted scenes (7 min.), a 'Weapons of the Trade' section with information on guns, a photo gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a solid film.] (R. Blackwelder) [4K Review—Mar. 26, 2019—Lionsgate, 121 min., R, 4K: $22.99—Making its debut on 4K, 2005’s Lord of War features a fine transfer and a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Extras include audio commentary by writer-director Andrew Niccol, a 'making-of' featurette (21 min.), the behind-the-scenes featurette 'Making a Killing: Inside the International Arms Trade' (15 min.), deleted scenes (7 min.), and bonus Blu-ray and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: this underrated drama shines in 4K.]
Lord of War
Lions Gate, 122 min., R, DVD: $28.98, Jan. 17 Volume 21, Issue 1
Lord of War
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