Just got back from watching Lord of War tonight. There’s a feelgood movie for the year! The opening sequence, which is the life cycle of a bullet from manufacturer to target, is a remarkable piece of cinematography that sets the tone for the movie.
Dark comedy, family drama, a touch of romance, and a heavy dose of “what the fuck” discussion of the gunrunning trade all combine to make this a very powerful film. Do not take small children to this film, under any circumstances. Unless, of course, your children have seen a lot of gunshot wounds being made in their daily lives, in which case – nothing new here for them.
Nicolas Cage, as always, is great. Ethan Hawke doesn’t chew the scenery, but he doesn’t quite make me believe his character is as boy scout as he is supposed to be. The rest of the cast is really peripheral, with the exception of Eamonn Walker’s thinly-veiled Charles Taylor fictionalization. Most of the screen time is devoted to Cage and his narrations, which really make the tone. His deadpan patter throughout the most insane gunfights and family dramas caused me to think of his character, Yuri Orlov, as an amoral near-affectless person.
Great movie, and I expect a cinematography award at the next Oscar ceremony – the camera work is good, but the long cut scenes are fantastic.