Lord of War

In Lord of War, Nicholas Cage plays an illegal arms dealer based on the profiles of multiple (actual) people in the same trade who were active in early 90s illegal arms trade. His performance is what you expect (excellent) and the cast is of similar caliber (pardon the pun), including Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto, and Bridget Moynahan, to name a few. Although the plot is somewhat predictable (bad decisions lead to bad outcomes), its still a well-made movie. Who would the movie appeal to? Im not sure. I watched it because it stars Cage. Outside Cage fans, it may appeal to those interested in the historical context that the film covers - early 90s illegal arms trade in Africa. Its definitely not a feel good movie given the content.

Once again, The truth is always hidden in a movie. Worth the watch!

This review is for the special edition 2 disc version. First, a note about the technical specs. Its in 16:9 widescreen, as correctly specified in the product description. In the extras that are in disc 2, however, the deleted scenes are in 2.35:1 theatrical widescreen. I wish the entire movie had been offered in 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The deleted scenes seem crisper and sharper, more visually stunning than the movie itself. The 16:9 is watchable and enjoyable, but I think I would have preferred the theatrical aspect ratio. Now, on to the movie. This is a thinking mans drama/action movie, with a surprisingly large amount of narration. It follows the story of a quasi illegal arms dealer as he goes from middle class restauranteur to world class gun runner. Im not a Nicholas Cage fan, as I think hes vastly overrated as an actor. In this movie, however, he seems to have found his raison detre. Ive probably seen about a dozen or so of his films, and this is the best by far. He delivers a pretty good performance, albeit missing any Eastern European accent. The supporting actors are also good. His brother in this movie is particularly memorable, evoking images of a young Alain Delon. There are many instances of philosophizing in the dialog that are obviously relevant to our currently turbulent times. Does eliminating guns or gun runners eliminate war and violence? The short answer is hell no, because there will always be someone else manufacturing more guns and selling them to those who will pay for them. The long answer is no as well, because until and unless you eliminate the root causes of war, there will always be war and violence. And as long as there is war and violence, people will make weapons and sell and buy them. On that note, I will say this: there is a comment in the extras by one guy who insightfully says that if you want to stop war, stop buying gasoline and diamonds. Because those are the kinds of commodities that drive the unrest in the middle east and Africa. I will go a step further and say that eliminating the gun and weapons trade will not stop war or violence. People who have a vendetta will kill, regardless of what weapons are available. If you took away AK-47s, theyd use sticks and stones. If you took away those as well, these are people whod use fists and even tear out throats with their teeth. Are you going to make fists and teeth illegal as well? As eastern philosophies and western religions have taught, there will be no peace on earth until every one of us changes and destroys the demons within us. Namely, those root causes of dissatisfaction, which is the real reason why humans kill each other. Violence has been with us well before guns and modern weapons. The Trojan War and even the prehistoric story of Cain and Abel amply demonstrate that we kill just as easily with primitive weapons as with modern guns and ammo. War is caused by two things. The have-nots who attack the haves; and the haves who abuse the have-nots until they revolt. Basically all are economic or political in nature. All result from that root cause of dissatisfaction inside all of us. The only thing that will break these cycles and free us is eliminating that dissatisfaction within ourselves. Finally, another note on the extras. There is a guns of the trade feature showing eight common small arms weapons. The specs for the M16, which shows a example of an M16 with what appears to be a grenade launcher attached under the barrel, are way off. It says the M16 is 7.62 mm and 10.4 kg. The intern who put that part in must have been working late on Friday! As far as I am aware, the M16 has always been a .223 caliber (5.56 mm) rifle and the 5.56 mm cartridge has been NATO standard for years as a result. The M16 only weighs about 4 kg, so the weight is also ridiculously wrong. It wouldnt be 10.4 kg even with the fully loaded grenade launcher attached. So take the guns of the trade feature with a grain of salt.

Typical Nic Cage fare. Drama, violence, and lots of macho posturing. It will not change your life, but it will amuse you for a couple of hours. This is what he does best now that he doesnt do movies like Leaving Las Vegas.

The real victor bout.

Received this movie today. Great movie. To my surprise it came with an ultraviolet copy of the movie my code expires on 2015! 8-) When i open my package which was undamaged i noticed that my Jewel case was busted in the corner. the disc was fine but it no longer closes in that corner. please see pics below. All in all i think it was a good buy if the case wasnt busted i would have given five stars.

The introduction was absolutely amazing. The acting is on fleet. I’d highly recommend as the best movie yet!!!!!

Great movie added it to my collection

Probably Cages best movie, very much underrated.

Ill get to the point (Im not a fan of 2-page Essay reviews) and I dont like ruining movies for fellow watchers. I thought this film had a great/complex story line. It definitively keeps you hooked, it is well narrated and character driven. The story-line plays out decently, taking you through an emotional roller coaster from love & hate to action, betrayal, cold-blooded murder, loyalty, courage etc. . The cast is rich with well seasoned actors, Ethan Hawke was awesome but Nicholas Cage was impervious. Overall in the end the movie had a great message and it actually opens your eyes to whats really going on in the world...