Lord of War (2005)

An arms dealer confronts the morality of his work as he is being chased by an Interpol agent.

Director:

Andrew Niccol

Writer:

Andrew Niccol

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Bridget Moynahan, Jared Leto

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicolas Cage	...	Yuri Orlov
Bridget Moynahan	...	Ava Fontaine
Jared Leto	...	Vitaly Orlov
Shake Tukhmanyan	...	Irina Orlov (as Shake Toukhmanian)
Jean-Pierre Nshanian	...	Anatoly Orlov
Jared Burke	...	Ukrainian Mobster
Eric Uys	...	Ukrainian Mobster
David Shumbris	...	Ukrainian Mobster
Stewart Morgan	...	Ukrainian Mobster
Jasper Lenz	...	Gregor
Stephen Gregor	...	Eli Kurtzman
Kobus Marx	...	Boris
Stephan De Abreu	...	Liev
Jeremy Crutchley	...	Arms Fair Salesman
Ian Holm	...	Simeon Weisz

Storyline

This film charts the rise and fall of Yuri Orlov, from his early days in the early 1980s in Little Odessa, selling guns to mobsters in his local neighbourhood, through to his ascension through the decade of excess and indulgence into the early 90s, where he forms a business partnership with an African warlord and his psychotic son. The film also charts his relationship through the years with his younger brother, his marriage to a famous model, his relentless pursuit by a determined federal agent and his inner demons that sway between his drive for success and the immorality of what he does.

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Plot Keywords:

arms dealer | 1980s | cold war | immigrant | interpol | 

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Taglines:

Where There's A Will, There's A Weapon.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, drug use, language and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Lions Gate Films [us] SND [fr]

Country:

France USA Germany

Language:

English Ukrainian German Spanish Russian French Arabic Turkish

Release Date:

16 September 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

El señor de la guerra

Filming Locations:

Bozi Dar aerodrome, Bozi Dar, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$27,235 (Chile) (3 November 2006)

Gross:

$148,101 (Chile) (24 November 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Entertainment Manufacturing Company, VIP 3 Medienfonds, Ascendant Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Monica Bellucci was originally supposed to play the role of Ava, but had to back out due to scheduling conflicts. The role eventually went to Bridget Moynahan.

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Goofs

Although Yuri states that the thousands of assault rifles in the storage warehouse are AK-47s, they are actually Czechoslovakian SA Vz.58s, distinguished by the different butt-stocks.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Yuri Orlov: [voiceover] You don't have to worry. I'm not gonna tell you a pack of lies to make me look good. I'm just gonna tell you what happened.

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Connections

References Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

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Soundtracks

"The Ride of the Valkyries"
(1870) (uncredited)
from "Die Walküre"
by Richard Wagner
In the score at the Berlin Arms Fair

User Reviews

Interesting film by a new starter, Andrew Niccol

Lord of War is about an arms dealer named Yuri Orlov who confronts the morality of his work while being chased by an Interpol agent. This is a very interesting film brought by director and writer of the film, Andrew Niccol (Gattaca). This is another great film of his that will boost up his career even more. Nicolas Cage puts up another great performance of the year and although his acting is very ostentatious, his narrating just like in The Weather Man, which came out a couple months later, is perfect. The dialogue is very good and the script couldn't be any better. Most of all, I clearly gave respect to Andrew Niccol, because honestly, he deserves the most credit out of any one who worked on the film. My hat goes off for him. Overall, great film of 2005 and I'll be paying more attention to Andrew Niccol's movies. I highly recommend it.

Hedeen's Outlook: 8.5/10 ***+ B+