|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lord of War review
2005.09.28 — Entertainment | Movies | Movie Reviews | by Andrew Cole
Guns, money, and possibly-AIDS-infected-hookers. [official site] |
Nicolas Cage is a Ukrainian-American illicit arms dealer who trudges thru life with what seems to be an undiagnosed case of depression in Lord of War. He's very good at his job, somehow, even tho he doesn't seem particularly enthusiastic about it. I suspect real illicit arms dealers really enjoy it.
A tepid Jared Leto and stunning Bridget Moynahan support, but feel like little more than pasted-in cut-outs in Cage's life. Ian Holm has a brief turn and return as a oddly scrupulous rival, but his role is orchestrated with a metronome. In—two, three, four; out— two, three, four; down—two, three, four. And... rest.
The film was written by Andrew Niccol, a by-the-numbers writer who also gave us Gattaca, The Truman Show, and Simone. I know The Truman Show was a great movie, but do you remember any lines from it? The two films have a similar feel, but The Truman Show was supposed to feel orchestrated. That was the point.
Niccol also directed, trying desperately to make up for Simone, but only partly succeeds. There's no real directorial spark here, nor was there in Gattaca, which he also directed. He's a writer's director, meaning that he puts characters on screen to talk to each other and doesn't ask for much more. Unfortunately, remember, he's a by-the-numbers writer.
He's a writer's director, meaning that he puts characters on screen to talk to each other and doesn't ask for much more. |
That's not to say that Lord of War is a bad movie. There's a bit of documentary archness about it, but that actually plays just fine, altho Nicolas Cage might be one of the worst narrators ever. Next time, hire Liev Schreiber, then play it for irony. There's already a bit of black humor, but it mostly plays as a fairly heavy-handed cautionary tale. (Think drugs are cool? Well, mister, you won't when you're carting your brother back to rehab for the second time!)
Think drugs are cool? Well, mister, you won't when you're carting your brother back to rehab for the second time! |
The story is nevertheless well-told. Cage rises from ethnic poverty (or, at least, want) to gun seller to arms dealer, corrupting his brother and winning a supermodel wife thru fraud and artifice. He loses his brother, deceives his wife, and stays one step ahead of the long arm of the law, but finds little joy in it. As do we.
There are a few philosophical moments in it, particularly when Cage muses about how tobacco executives and car salesmen talk to their families.
It would have been nice to see Cage enjoying the high life before being crushed by it.... |
But you get the feeling that the writer doesn't realize that tobacco executives and car salesmen—and, indeed, arms dealers—lead perfectly happy lives in total denial of any misery they inflict or fraud the commit. It would have been nice to see Cage enjoying the high life before being crushed by it, but instead the only moment of joy he expresses is when, hearing a television news report about the breakup of the Soviet Union, he begins kissing Mikhail Gorbachev's head.
Still... Lord of War is not a bad movie. I keep telling myself that.
f e e d b a c k
Respond to this page by your e-mail client. Please be sure to mention the title of the article.
