A kind of dark comedy concerning a crazy, rogue arms trader (Nicholas Cage) and delivers one of his best ever performances (in a film quite like no other). It contains a very serious message throughout and some highly quotable lines to, such as "The 'AK-47' being the biggest weapon of mass destruction, as it's killed more than anything else". The tile is a clever word play and a featured mad dictator who gets everything backwards, such as "Bath of Blood", instead of 'Bloodbath' and "Lord of War" replacing 'Warlord' and so on. Has a ring of a terrible truth, with death, destruction and murder, being such a lucrative trade.

From PASTO, COLOMBIA-Via: L. A. CA; CALI, COLOMBIA ORLANDO, FL -------------The ONLY Tony Kiss Castillo on FaceBook!----------------

Here is a film that presents a portrait of some of our least favorable attributes. Things that, in some dark recess of our consciousness, we know very well exist, but somehow make us feel uneasy to contemplate in the light of day. Also, I think LORD appeals to fans of films that require the use of gray matter and applied consciousness.

Based on a true story, it is clearly a striking example that reality is often far stranger than fiction. Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) is a Ukrainian- American who walks aimlessly through life. When he witnesses a failed kidnapping attempt at a Ukrainian restaurant in Little Odessa, resulting in the death of the two murderers, Orlov has a kind of demonic epiphany: People simply cannot live without weapons to kill their neighbors!

Andrew Niccol (The Terminal, The Truman Show, Gattaca) in addition to serving as director, has written and produced "LORD" ... quite a versatile man, most definitely! Like his compatriot, Peter Jackson, Niccol is an example of the growing influence of New-Zealanders in Hollywood. And here, he shows us a film that is in no way easy to catalog! Protagonist Orlov is a man whose entire life is a lie, and like many who lead a double life, Yuri Orlov ends up believing totally the myth in which he has enveloped himself!

So as to reveal no more than necessary, suffice to say that in its last half hour, there are some interesting surprises. Nicolas Cage deserves special recognition, not only for his excellent work here, but for the maturity he has shown recently in his choice of subject matter and tone! After several years of appearing predominately in action-flavored movies, it seems Cage has opted to change course a little. With LORD of WAR, he has made a very wise choice.

9********* ...ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!

Any comments, questions or observations, in English. O en ESPAÑOL, are MOST welcome!......

Lord of War sees Nicolas Cage play Yuri Orlov, a Russian émigré to the United States, whose family pretends to be Jewish and living in a dead end world of Little Odessa. He sees an opportunity that violence can make him money and becomes a successful arms dealer as he starts out small in the early 1980s and his enterprise takes off once the USSR collapses.

Yuri is immoral, he realises if its not him, then someone else will sell arms. Even then someone will find a way to kill others. The film is driven by its narration and goes on a zippy and st time a sarcastic and cynical pace, maybe too fast as before long Orlov and his brother go from working in a family restaurant to an arms trade fair and his brother being hooked on drugs.

Things take a turn as Interpol close in on him after pursuing him for years and his wife probes deeper into his activities, his brother realises the consequences of their actions in giving weapons to local warlords.

Cage does not convince entirely as a Russian born American, the film is also a little bit to glib and smug, although the cynicism is a plus but it does come close to some preachiness here and there. Of course Orlov must face the consequences of his action but Ethan Hawke who plays the Interpol agent seems to be too much of a smug boy scout himself. The film loses steam towards the end with what looks like silly plot resolution to give Orlov a crisis of conscience but it still makes for an interesting and at times a funny film.