Some viewers may pooh-pooh the marked Hollywood glibness to its narrative, or the minor liberties it takes with factual minitiae, but Lord of War is no mean feat. It soars high above minor editorial gripes with a compelling tale well told, top-notch acting, and a gripping script peppered with a million rent-a-quotes.
The theme had me at Hello: a biopic of a gunrunner’s meteoric rise to the top of the global arms race, and his inevitable slide thereof, although its final suit is not buttoned quite so neatly. The sinister trade of glocks and AK-47s is often ignored by popular media in favor of seemingly bigger pies like air force jets and nuclear scuds, but as a matter of fact these little handheld weapons account for more bloodbaths around the world than all other alternatives combined.
The little revolutions they foster in unglamoruous corners of the world such as the Balkans or northern Africa are seldom televized, so a film so palatable and entertaining serves a very respectable purpose despite playing on the fringes of moral preachiness. In that sense, its punches may sometimes be predictable, but why not -- given the brutality of the world it depicts, it is all eminently forgiveable. A clever undertone of timely black comedy only helps matters along.
You know you have seen something special if you ruminate on it for days afterward, and this chilling, provocative, enlightening production causes that in spades. Sure-shot nomination for Cage come Oscar time. A must-watch for everyone, but a must-own for the discerning.