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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 rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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[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

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

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

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

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
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
09/24/05
Boston Phoenix
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
09/24/05
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

What a total misfire.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
09/16/05
E! Online

Niccol squeezes his cartoonish irony for pathos, as if retelling Superman from the dark side but softening it to make us lament, 'Poor Lex Luthor. Poor, lost Lex Luthor'.

Full Review Source: Blogcritics.org | comment Comment
10/12/05
Alan Dale
Alan Dale
Blogcritics.org

Niccol's ambitious, blacknasty take on arms dealing certainly has its share of niceties ... but it can never quite get a fix on the delivery of its volatile subject matter.

Full Review Source: The Stranger (Seattle, WA) | comment 2 Comments
09/15/05
Andrew Wright
Andrew Wright
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Lord of War has a hip, gonzo energy to it and it's often transfixing to watch and listen to. But it's finally just as empty as the man it's about.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
09/16/05
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

Lord is dull. Dirty dishwater dull. Terminally dull.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
09/15/05
Bob Longino
Bob Longino
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Lord of War lacks the major gravitational pull that a film of its scope should exert.

Full Review Source: Now Playing Magazine | comment Comment
09/16/05
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Now Playing Magazine

With these evildoers exuding such charisma, it's no wonder that the film's message about the immorality of gun-running gets diluted.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
09/16/05
Carla Meyer
Carla Meyer
Sacramento Bee

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

Plays like a smarty-pants Esquire essay by David Foster Wallace. Even if you agree with it, the movie is so endlessly pleased with itself that you wish you didn't.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
09/16/05
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Amid all the spent bullets and criticisms of our current president, there still is room for irony in "Lord of War." Unintentional, yes, but it's there.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
09/22/05
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

Thanks to all of the voice-over, Lord of War feels like a two-hour trailer for a better movie.

Full Review Source: Zap2it.com | comment Comment
09/13/05
Dan Fienberg
Dan Fienberg
Zap2it.com

As flawed as it is, still has some value as it delivers some measure of truth.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
09/17/05
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
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