Lord of War (R, 2005)

Ukrainian émigré Yuri (Nicolas Cage) sees himself as a good enough American, having absorbed the moral, political, and legal lessons of his adopted home. He and his brother Vitali (Jared Leto) grew up in Brooklyn's Little Odessa, scamming for money and status, passing as Jews, surrounded by gangster violence. Cynical Yuri starts selling arms during the Cold War. Refusing to take sides when he sells -- to highest bidders or repeat customers -- he reasons sides are unstable anyway. Nations, including the U.S., take up with allies who are most convenient and useful at any given moment. Yuri's "first break" comes after the terrorist bombing of the Marine base in Lebanon, when the U.S. leaves behind an impressive array of munitions. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Yuri's Uncle Dmitri (Eugene Lazarev) has access to much of the $32 billion worth of arms that goes "missing." And so the ambitious young entrepreneur leaps into the global not-so-black market, backed by his compliant muscle, Vitali.

Ambitious, uneven, and occasionally philosophical, LORD OF WAR ultimately argues against war and violence. While this is hardly a new idea, it's rare to find a movie so determined to make its case -- sometimes too heavy-handedly, though always earnestly. This despite the fact that Andrew Niccol's movie is something of a comedy, in that it frames its subjects -- violence, militarism, cutthroat business practices, avarice, depression, and addiction -- with dark irony.

Less effectively, the film sets Yuri against an Interpol Agent (Ethan Hawke), who embodies a legal system that has little to say about international gun-running. While Yuri plainly gets off on risk, he's also broadly representative of cavalier attitudes toward risk concerning vulnerable individuals and communities. As he resists considering moral or cultural dimensions when making sales, he becomes a drug addict. Though the film is not subtle, it does make its case: taking sides is inevitable.

Studio: Lionsgate
Director: Andrew Niccol
Cast: Bridget Moynahan, Jared Leto, Nicolas Cage
Genre: Drama
Run time: 122 minutes
Theatrical release: September 16, 2005
DVD release: January 17, 2006
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: strong violence, drug use, language and sexuality