From the get go, Lord of War is on to a good thing. Here you have a unique take a on an arms dealer, played smirky as hell by Nicolas Cage. This is trademark Cage, so if you hate him, as many do, you’re not going to like it. I, on the other hand, acting skills aside, feel a strange affinity towards him, so I see that as a good thing. Still, the movie is heavy on the narration and rubs it in, way in, that they’ve got a fascinating topic to run with.

Cages’s sidekick brother (in arms), played by wannabe rock star Jared Leto, is a bit too reminiscent of what down in Face Off, and after a certain point he plays nothing more than dead weight. The other top gun is Cage’s nemesis, played by Ethan Hawke. He’s actually a bit unspectacular in the role. I didn’t even notice him at first because he just looked so boring. They shoudl have given him a little tick, like a strange haircut or something. He’s too clean cut, too moral, and sports the ugliest sunglasses.

The movie has a ton of international flair and insight into politics. It is a movie, but one gets the sense that some of Cage’s narrative shields does ring true. Whether he’s talking about the end of the cold war or conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, we feel like we’re getting insider’s view on the world’s power plays.

Of course, there has to be a love interest. In this case, it’s an unattainable billboard model with a desperate past. It gets off to a good start, but is quicky degraded to marriage mush. I’m not saying we had to go Mr and Mrs Smith here, but Cage’s character and his wife just lag on screen. His ambivalence towards her, makes us feel the same, and then we’re just waiting for the scenes with her to be over.

Unlike many a film, Lord of War, actually has a very well-done ending. Though, not a great movie, by any means, if you’re interested in another way of viewing the ways of today’s world, check it out.

Buy Lord of War [Blu-ray] or Lord of War (2-Disc Special Edition) from Amazon.