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Movies / On DVD / Lord of War
Lord of War

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Lord of War (2005)

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Reviews Counted:138

Fresh:85

Rotten:53

Average Rating:6.2/10

Consensus: While Lord of War is an intelligent examination of the gun trade, it is too scattershot in its plotting to connect.

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for strong violence, drug use, language and sexuality

Runtime: 2 hrs 2 mins

Genre: Thriller, Theatrical Release

Theatrical Release:14-10-2005

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... 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 André Baptiste, Sr. (Eamonn Walker). Jared Leto costars 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 realize 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. [More]

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, Ian Holm, Sammy Rotibi, Eamonn Walker

Director: Andrew Niccol

Director: Andrew Niccol
Screenwriter: Andrew Niccol
Producer: Philippe Rousselet, Norm Golightly
Composer: Antonio Pinto
Producer: Nicolas Cage
Studio: Lions Gate Films

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Lord of War

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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The story and characters are vivid and compelling, although the film is far too dense for its own good.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
09/08/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

[W]hile the film is powered by a righteous anger, it is also very funny, stylish and daring.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
10/08/05
Andy Jacobs
Andy Jacobs
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Impressive performances, fascinating info-bytes and pertinent editorial, but in the end, it feels too much like an illustrated lecture.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A fine, grown-up movie, half thriller, half black comedy.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/19/08
Ceri Thomas
Ceri Thomas
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Cage is perfectly cast and he's on top form here, subtly combining elements from both his action movie persona and his more quirky, off-kilter performances.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/15/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Don't go in expecting a standard Nicolas Cage adventure and you'll be pleasantly surprised how good this is.

Full Review Source: Eclipse Magazine | comment Comment
09/19/05
Michelle Alexandria
Michelle Alexandria
Eclipse Magazine

The blitzkrieg of images and rapid-fire narration takes us on a breathtaking inside tour of a scary world. It's an extraordinary expose.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
09/15/05
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The blitzkrieg of images and rapid-fire narration takes us on a breathtaking inside tour of a scary world.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
09/15/05
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

it’s a point weakly made, with depressingly little to back it up

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
09/15/05
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Filmcritic.com

Messy and ill-defined, and as scattershot as its grand topic.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
09/18/05
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Glib as its protagonist, it wants to talk its way into the pantheon alongside 'Dr. Strangelove'; still, it's a worthy addition to a movie culture that fetishizes firearms...

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
09/16/05
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

When Niccol allows the movie to stop and breathe for a while, it's often powerful.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
09/15/05
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

Movies usually show bullets as if they're generic, anonymous masses of metal coming off a conveyor belt, while Lord of War wants us to see that each bullet is inscribed with somebody's name.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
09/16/05
Jami Bernard
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News

Its best moments burn with irony.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
09/16/05
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

Satire is rarely so hard-hitting, or high calibre.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
07/10/07
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film

'Tween the multi-million dollars films, Cage often brings us the real stuff...

Full Review Source: Blunt Review | comment Comment
09/15/05
Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt
Blunt Review

The story is a strange mix of action/adventure, character development and comedy. Here is the sort of wonderful writing that will have you laughing out loud at gunplay and rooting for an utterly amoral broker of death.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
09/16/05
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

It's told in a shaky balance of values and one could leave the theatre wondering if they've been entertained or criminalized.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
10/12/05
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

Una película frívola y superficial sobre un tema serio e importante como el tráfico de armas. Entretiene, pero como denuncia cínica se queda corta.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment 1 Comment
09/13/06
Enrique Buchichio
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total

It's one of this year's most ambitious movies, and also one of the angriest.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Weekly | comment Comment
09/29/05
Sean Burns
Sean Burns
Philadelphia Weekly
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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Latest News for Lord of War

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