Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8998 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-03-06
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 117 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The lethal business of arms dealers provides an electrifying context for the black-as-coal humor of Andrew Niccol's Lord of War. Having proven his ingenuity as the writer of The Truman Show, and writer-director of Gattaca and the under-appreciated Simone, Niccol is clearly striving for Strangelovian relevance here as he chronicles the rise and inevitable fall of Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage), a Ukrainian immigrant to America who makes his fortune selling every kind of ordnance he can get his amoral hands on.

With a trophy wife (Bridget Moynahan) who's initially clueless about his hidden career, and a younger brother (Jared Leto) whose drug-addled sense of decency makes him an ill-chosen accomplice, Yuri traffics in death the way other salesman might push vacuum cleaners (he likes to say that alcohol and tobacco are deadlier products than his), but even he can't deny the sheer ruthlessness of the Liberian dictator (a scene-stealing Eamonn Walker) who purchases Orlov's "products" to expand his oppressive regime. Niccol's themes are even bigger than Yuri's arms deals, and he drives them home with a blunt-force lack of subtlety, but Cage gives the film the kind of insanely dark humour it needs to have. To understand this monster named Yuri, we have to see at least a glimpse of his humanity, which Cage provides as only he can. Otherwise, this epic tale of gunrunnng would be as morally unbearable as the black market trade it illuminates.-- Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
Based on actual events, this black comedy-drama stars Nicholas Cage as international arms smuggler Uri Orlov. The story follows Uri from his humble beginnings as a Soviet immigrant in 1970s Brooklyn and peaks with his involvement in selling off the stockpiled arsenal of post-Cold War Ukraine to among other top clients the sadistic African dictator Andre Baptiste, Sr. (Eamonn Walker). Jared Leto co-stars as Uri's little brother Vitaly, whose conscience and a burgeoning cocaine problem get in the way of business. Ethan Hawke is good as a sanctimonious Interpol agent with a vendetta against Uri, but the film's biggest dose of onscreen gravitas comes from Walker, whose Baptiste seethes with a heavy, serpent-like malevolence. Written and directed by Andrew Niccol, the film makes fine use of the brisk stream-of-consciousness narration style that Martin Scorcese brought to the true crime genre with 'Goodfellas' (1992), and a near constant flow of action and classic rock songs that ensure a speedy, riveting ride through three decades of global carnage. Cage, who coproduced, lets his patented oddball magnetism slowly change polarity, until viewers realise they've been led into a moral quagmire by falling for his self-delusory spiels about supply and demand, making this one of the bravest and most jet-black comedies of its decade.

Customer Reviews

not entertaining
I confess that I was another one who found it boring. I watch all types of film not just action but what I think made it boring for me was the predictable plot. It just didn't entertain for me.

Definately a good film
I have to agree with all the positive comments written. Don't be put off by the negative. Not an action movie but definately thought provoking and interesting.

Great Film Spoiled with Adverts
A Very Good Film Spoiled by adverts .

Whoever decided to include adverts for Films and Mars Bar's before the
DVD Menu loads deserves to be Shot.

In actual fact I will avoid Buying anything from Momentum Pictures
because it is a utter disgrace that they treat their Customers this way.

If they want to advertise their Films then why not include adverts
in a menu area clearly marked adverts - after all this is a two
disk special edition so there is loads of room to add extra sections.

If they really want to lose their ' Paying Customers ' then they
are going the right way to achieving this.

I hope someone from Momentum Pictures reads this - the next time
some bright Spark comes up with a ' killer idea ' about placing
adverts before the menu area loads ' Fire them on the spot '