Lord of War lacks the major gravitational pull that a film of its scope should exert.
Lord of War (2005)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
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
Reviews for Lord of War
When Niccol allows the movie to stop and breathe for a while, it's often powerful.
Niccol’s attention to detail perks up the screenplay, and constantly strengthens the ideas that he’s frantically trying to communicate.
While not shining as brightly as Niccol's other writing work [Gattaca, The Truman Show, The Terminal], Lord of War definitely deserves a look once it hits DVD.
Lord of War is an extremely compelling tale with fantastic acting performances, great dialogue and dark humor that still makes you laugh in the middle of gripping drama
'Tween the multi-million dollars films, Cage often brings us the real stuff...
Any time you're watching a film in which the statistics in the voice-over have more intrinsic drama than the protagonists' lives, you know you're in trouble.
The blitzkrieg of images and rapid-fire narration takes us on a breathtaking inside tour of a scary world.
The blitzkrieg of images and rapid-fire narration takes us on a breathtaking inside tour of a scary world. It's an extraordinary expose.
Andrew Niccol takes on a huge issue and gives it the Goodfellas treatment...[but it is] less successful, overlong and not as emotionally engaging
a classic hubris rise-and-fall story, chillingly real and contemporary and very scary.
Nicolas Cage stars as a globe-trotting gunrunner in this misfire of a political satire about the international gun market.
[Cage] makes everything bearable, applying his usual talent for giving unsavory characters some attractive traits.
For all its intelligence, the film gradually sinks under the weight of its own sense of mission.
Lord of War would have worked better if its message had been more muted, muffled. Niccol could have used a silencer on his gun.
Latest News for Lord of War
September 14, 2006:
Box Office Guru Preview: Rock's "Gang" Aims to Score Big
Following the worst box office weekend in three years, Hollywood has nowhere to go but up. It hopes. More...
August 09, 2006:
Critical Consensus: A Brave New "World," A "Step" Down, And No Screenings for "Pulse" and "Zoom"
This week at the movies, we've got Oliver Stone paying tribute to the heroes of 9/11 ("World Trade Center," starring Nicolas Cage); two youngsters trying to start a... More...
May 11, 2006:
Roland Emmerich's "10,000 B.C." Begins!
Big-budget spectacle-maker Roland Emmerich just began production on his "10,000 B.C." for Warner Bros. The large-scale old-school period piece will shoot mainly in... More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 67% 67% | Public Enemies |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 95% 95% | The Cove |
| 85% 85% | World's Greatest Dad |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Lord of War at Rotten Tomatoes
- Lord of War at IGN
- Lord of War at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

