Lord of War

Director: Andrew Niccol Andrew Niccol

Overview

One man demonstrates how to get rich selling warring nations the tools of their deadly trade in this dark comedy drama. Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) is an opportunistic businessman who stumbled into a gold mine after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Huge caches of Soviet weapons became available at bargain prices (and even for free if one wasn't above stealing), and as literally billions of dollars' worth of Soviet military technology disappeared, it began finding its way into the hands of weapons dealers eager to sell it to the highest bidder. Orlov was one such dealer who found plenty of buyers for guns and military gear in unstable Third World nations, who paid cash and didn't appreciate too many questions. Orlov's exploits in the arms business quickly made him a very rich man, but they've also led to some unwanted attention from Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke), an Interpol agent who is convinced Orlov isn't playing by the rules. Inspired by a true story, Lord of War also features Jared Leto, Ian Holm, Bridget Moynahan, and Donald Sutherland.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/17/2006
UPC:	0031398188025
Original Release:	2005
Rating:	R
Source:	Lions Gate
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Time:	2:01:00
Format:	Sony PSP

Special Features

Full-length movie; 16:9 widescreen version (1.78:1 Ratio); DVD picture quality; English and Spanish subtitles

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Nicolas Cage	Yuri Orlov
Jared Leto	Vitali Orlov
Bridget Moynahan	Ava Fontaine
Ian Holm	Simeon Weisz
Ethan Hawke	Jack Valentine
Eamonn Walker	Baptiste Senior
Sammi Rotibi	Baptiste Junior

Technical Credits

Andrew Niccol

Andrew Niccol	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
Elisabetta Beraldo	Costumes/Costume Designer
John Bissell	Musical Direction/Supervision
Nicolas Cage	Producer
Stephen H. Carter	Art Director
Bradley Cramp	Executive Producer
Christopher Eberts	Executive Producer
Fabrice Gianfermi	Executive Producer
Norm Golightly	Producer
Andreas Grosch	Producer
Andy Grosch	Producer
Gary Hamilton	Executive Producer
Doug Hansen	Co-producer
Derek Mansvelt	Sound/Sound Designer
Mindy Marin	Casting
Michael Mendelsohn	Executive Producer
Amir Mokri	Cinematographer
Matthew Penry-Davey	Asst. Director
Antonio Pinto	Score Composer
Jean-Vincent Puzos	Production Designer
Christopher Roberts	Producer
Philippe Rousselet	Producer
Andreas Schmid	Executive Producer
Zach Staenberg	Editor
James D. Stern	Executive Producer
Tyronne Stevenson	Special Effects Supervisor
Ronaldo Vasconcellos	Executive Producer
James E. Vidal	Associate Producer

Editorial Reviews

Chalk up another tour de force for Nicolas Cage, whose eccentric turn as a sardonic arms dealer ranks among his very best characterizations and further distinguishes an already noteworthy film. Lord of War follows the checkered career of Yuri Orlov (Cage), the oldest son of Ukrainian immigrants, whose entrepreneurial career begins when he sells guns to Russian mobsters in Brooklyn's Little Odessa. He eventually graduates to international weapons trafficking, with a client list that includes Middle East despots and African warlords. Along the way he juggles the demands of family -- represented by his loyal but materialistic wife (Bridget Moynahan) and drug-addicted younger brother (Jared Leto) -- with such professional concerns as competition from an aging pro (Ian Holm) and the dogged pursuit of an idealistic Interpol agent (Ethan Hawke). Director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca) sets a mordant tone from the start with a bravura opening-credits sequence that follows a bullet (from its point of view) from a munitions factory to its eventual human target. Lord of War isn’t entirely consistent; it careens from black comedy to high tragedy, and Orlov's radical metamorphosis in the final reels smacks of revival-meeting moralism. Still, there’s much to enjoy in this well-developed, cleverly dialogued yarn, one of Cage’s most substantial a films since Leaving Las Vegas.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

A raffishly ironic and insinuating movie -- and probably the most sheerly enjoyable film of the year so far.

The New Yorker - David Denby