Lord of War Movie Review

Lord of War is an uneasy mix of documentary, entertainment and satire describing a violent world gone horribly wrong. This docu-drama takes us on a suffocating journey with arms dealer Yuri Orlov (Nicholas Cage) to various exotic locales throughout the globe. Only, they aren't so exotic anymore. Every place we encounter (other than the United States) is ravaged by war, death and destruction. Our not-so-nice-arms-dealer protagonist Yuro Orlov is a globe-trotting arms dealer with no conscience who explains glibly to us that he participates in this ghastly profession because 'he's good at it".

At several points in the movie, one actually gets the sense that the what's happening isn't too far from the truth (the cynical circumvention of the law, brutal dictators in Africa, world chaos in general, gigantic warehouses of AK-47s, military helicopters being converted to "rescue" helicopters, complicated laws to determine what's legal and what's not, the hidden hand of the Pentagon and much more). But interspersed with the documentary-like parts is another thread on the personal like of Yuri which ends up being not so interesting because we don't really have the energy to care about Yuri. We're too horrified by the consequence of his arms trade.

--start spoilers--

Yuri is pursued on and off by Interpol Agent Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke) and there is a verbal confrontation between the two at the end which reveals the hidden hand on the Pentagon and the State behind arms trafficking. It directly implicates the Pentagon and the administration. Some of the key dialogue is reproduced here -- Yuri speaks to Valentine (video here)

Yuri to Valentine:

"Soon there is gonna be a knock on that door and you will be called outside. In the hall, there will be a man who outranks you. First, he will complement you on the fine job you have done and you are making the world safer place that you are to receive commendation and a promotion and then, he is going to tell you that I am to be released. You're gonna protest. You'll probably threaten to resign But in the end, I will be released. The reason I will be released is the same reason you think I'll be convicted. I do rub shoulders some of the most vile sadistic man, calling themselves leaders today But some of those men, are the enemies of your enemies. While the biggest arms dealer in the world is your boss, The President of United States which ships more merchandise in a day than I do in a year. Sometimes it is embarrassing to have his fingerprints on the guns. Sometimes he needs a freelancer like me to supply forces he can't be seen supplying. So? You call me evil, but unfortunately for you I am a necessary evil"

--end spoilers--


I think this may be misconstrued as letting the shady arms dealer off lightly (something like a light rap on the knuckles). However, I don't believe this is the intention here. Given Yuri's vile deeds I don't think it is possible to have any sympathy for him ("oh, he's just doing his job").Yuri also defends himself throughout the movie making ludicrous statements like "It's their conflict", "I'd like it if they use my arms but I prefer if they miss". The viewer can't possibly have any sympathy for Yuri.

In the end, all I felt was an intense sense of hopelessness at the proliferation of dangerous arms all over the globe and the resulting genocides. The biggest (tax-payer funded) export of the United States is deadly weapons (its called Military-Industrial complex for a good reason). And by essentially treating weapons (guns all the way to nuclear weapons) as just as any other product (i.e trying to maximize profits and creating "marketing" strategies), what we have currently is a hugely volatile, insecure and cruel world littered with the inevitable end result -- Death. While the movie doesn't necessarily directly deal with the Military Industrial complex, it does deal with its extrajudicial arm (illegal arms trade). But their role as "Merchants of Death" has truly horrifying consequences. We're never secure as long as anyone is insecure.