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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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21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The high point is Niccol's script, which turns weighty subject matter into dark comedy.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
01/27/06
Forrest Hartman
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal

This film entertained me throughout, but it also provided me with a truly insightful look at the amoral world of trading man-killers.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
12/23/05
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

O anti-herói complexo oferece ao brilhante roteiro a oportunidade de analisar, de forma inventiva e fascinante, o mercado negro (abastecido por grandes governos) das armas de fogo.

comment Comment
12/20/05
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

...absorbing, even as it makes hamfistedly obvious moral points along the way.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
12/15/05
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

An arresting and disturbing piece of work that gets its message across without coming off as overly preachy.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Pete Vonder Haar
Pete Vonder Haar
Film Threat

Once you are trapped into being interested in the characters you may find you are learning more about the business than you really wanted to know and a lot that you hope is untrue. Sadly, there seems to be a uniform real ring of truth.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
11/11/05
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

(Nicolas) Cage might just dip a toe into early Oscar consideration with this outing. He's that good.

Full Review Source: San Antonio Express-News | comment Comment
10/17/05
Larry Ratliff
Larry Ratliff
San Antonio Express-News

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

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

Here’s an interesting dramatic film that’s looking for a demographic.

Full Review Source: KWQC-TV (Iowa) | comment Comment
10/07/05
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
KWQC-TV (Iowa)

Amir Mokri's thought-filled camerawork and Zach Staenberg's editing are first-rate and keep the overstuffed plot at least in discernible motion, but, truth to tell, Niccol ... has too much on his mind here and not enough film to tell it.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
10/06/05
Harry Haun
Harry Haun
Film Journal International

Few works are as unbearable as a tirade that thinks it’s a satire.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
09/30/05
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

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

Lord Of War drops the hammer slowly, laying out the fascinating parameters of Cage's world before opening up its argument in an astonishing denouement.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
Keith Phipps
Keith Phipps
AV Club

If it wasn't for the great acting, a solid script and strong direction, this would be a tiresome movie.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
09/26/05
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
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

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
09/24/05
Hollywood.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Journal News (Westchester, NY) | comment Comment
09/24/05
Christy Lemire
Christy Lemire
Journal News (Westchester, NY)

A clever, engaging and thought-provoking view into a world few know anything about.

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
09/24/05
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

Latest News for Lord of War

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