Flying Bee at 04:18, 12 August 2021

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{{Short description|2005 American crime drama film}}
{{Distinguish|Warlord (disambiguation){{!}}warlord}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Lord of War
| image = Lordofwar.jpg
| border = no
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Andrew Niccol]]
| producer = {{plainlist|
* [[Nicolas Cage]]
* Norm Golightly
* Andy Grosch
* [[Christopher Eberts]]
* [[Chris Roberts (film producer)|Chris Roberts]]
* Philippe Rousselet
* Andrew Niccol
}}
| writer = Andrew Niccol
| starring = {{plainlist|
* Nicolas Cage
* [[Jared Leto]]
* [[Bridget Moynahan]]
* [[Ian Holm]]
* [[Ethan Hawke]]
}}
| music = [[Antônio Pinto (composer)|Antonio Pinto]]
| cinematography = [[Amir Mokri]]
| editing = [[Zach Staenberg]]
| studio = {{plainlist|
* Entertainment Manufacturing Company
* [[Saturn Films]]
* Ascendant Pictures
}}
| distributor = [[Lionsgate Films|Lionsgate]] (United States)<br />[[20th Century Fox]] (Germany)<ref name="bom" /><br />[[SND Films]] (France)<ref name="bom" />
| released = {{film date|2005|9|16|United States}}
| runtime = 121 minutes
| country = {{plainlist|
* United States
* Germany<ref name="BFI">{{cite web |url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/793541 |work=[[British Film Institute]] |access-date=September 30, 2012 |location=London |title=Lord of War |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203053159/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/793541 |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* France
}}
| language = English<ref name="BFI" />
| budget = $50 million
| gross = $72.6 million<ref name="Lord of War">{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Lord-of-War|title=Lord of War (2005) - Financial Information|website=The Numbers}}</ref>
}}

'''''Lord of War''''' is a 2005 American [[crime drama]] film<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/v314426 |work=Allmovie |title=Lord of War |access-date=September 30, 2012 |author=Deming, Mark}}</ref> written, produced, and directed by [[Andrew Niccol]], and co-produced by and starring [[Nicolas Cage]].

The film was released in the United States on September 16, 2005, to positive reviews and was a modest commercial success, grossing $22.6 million over budget at the box office.

Cage plays a fictional illegal [[arms dealer]], inspired by the stories of several real-life arms dealers and smugglers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ruudleeuw.com/vbout18.htm |title=Viktor Bout: in the Movies |publisher=Ruudleeuw.com |date= December 24, 2005|access-date=2012-10-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Lintner |first=Bertil |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/IK10Ag01.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513031212/http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/IK10Ag01.html |url-status=unfit |archive-date=May 13, 2008 |title=A necessary evil |publisher=Asia Times |date=November 10, 2007 |access-date=2012-10-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rightsourceonline.com/enews/issue2/one.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070918060214/http://www.rightsourceonline.com/enews/issue2/one.htm|url-status=dead|title=William Norman Grigg: "Permanent War, Perpetual Profiteering"|archivedate=September 18, 2007}}</ref> The film was officially endorsed by the human rights group [[Amnesty International]] for highlighting the issue of illicit [[arms trafficking]] by the international [[arms industry]].<ref>{{cite press release|title=Lord of War |publisher=[[Amnesty International]] |year=2006 |url=http://www.amnestyusa.org/Artists_for_Amnesty/Lord_of_War/page.do?id=1104972&n1=2&n2=22&n3=797 |access-date=2007-09-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012174251/http://www.amnestyusa.org/Artists_for_Amnesty/Lord_of_War/page.do?id=1104972&n1=2&n2=22&n3=797 |archive-date=2007-10-12 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Hamid |first=Rahul |title=Lord of War/Syriana |journal=[[Cineaste (magazine)|Cineaste]] |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=52–55 |date=Spring 2006}}</ref>

==Plot==
In the early 1980s, Yuri Orlov ([[Nicolas Cage]]), the eldest son of a family of [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian refugees]], is visiting a [[Brighton Beach]] restaurant, where he witnesses a [[Russian Mafia|Russian mobster]] kill two would-be assassins holding [[Kalashnikov rifle]]s. The incident inspires him to go into the [[Arms Trade|arms trade]]; Yuri muses that the constant need for weapons is similar to the human need for food and thus he can make a fortune. After successfully completing his first sale, Yuri convinces his younger brother, Vitaly ([[Jared Leto]]), to become his partner.

The two brothers get their first big break during the [[1982 Lebanon War]], where they sell weapons to both Israeli and Lebanese troops despite witnessing the same weapons being used to commit war crimes and other atrocities. As Yuri begins to prosper by exploiting his growing network of business connections, he comes to the attention of [[Interpol]] and in particular, an idealistic agent named Jack Valentine ([[Ethan Hawke]]). Valentine represents a unique threat to Yuri because he is after glory, not money, and thus cannot be bought off.

Vitaly becomes addicted to [[cocaine]] after a [[Colombia]]n drug lord forces the brothers to accept several kilos of the drug to pay for an arms deal. Yuri quietly checks Vitaly into a [[drug rehabilitation]] clinic and continues his business alone. He lures childhood crush Ava Fontaine ([[Bridget Moynahan]]) to a false photo shoot, and they subsequently get married and have a son.

Following the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], Yuri flies to [[Ukraine]] and illegally buys Russian tanks, guns, and munitions through his uncle, a former [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] general who is overseeing the distribution of weapons to the Ukrainian army. Yuri then expands his business to Africa, where he begins a business relationship with Andre Baptiste Sr. ([[Eamonn Walker]]), a ruthless dictator engaged in a brutal civil war in [[Liberia]]. During one flight into Africa in 2001, Yuri's plane is intercepted by Valentine and forced to land. Yuri escapes arrest by landing in a remote area and giving away all of his cargo to the locals. Valentine then tells Ava her husband is an [[arms trafficking|arms dealer]], prompting her to confront him. To please his wife, Yuri tries to legitimize his business, but soon becomes frustrated with the difficulties and lower earnings of honest work. When Baptiste visits him in person and offers him the largest payday of his career, a stash of valuable [[blood diamond]]s, Yuri goes back to crime.

Yuri picks up Vitaly to assist him with a major deal in [[Sierra Leone]], where a militia force allied with Baptiste is visibly preparing to destroy a refugee camp. Unable to stomach his guilt, Vitaly pleads with Yuri to abandon the deal, but his brother refuses knowing that Baptiste's men will kill them for refusing to hand over the guns. Vitaly then steals a pair of grenades and uses them to destroy a truck full of weapons, accidentally killing Baptiste's son. He is gunned down by the militia, and while Yuri is spared due to his relationship with Baptiste Sr., he only receives half of the diamonds he was promised.

Yuri ships his brother's remains back to the United States. He pays a doctor to forge a phony death certificate and remove the bullets from Vitaly's body, but one bullet remains, and Yuri is apprehended by federal agents. Meanwhile, while being followed by Valentine, Ava finds a security container belonging to her husband, finally establishing definitive proof of Yuri's guilt. Ava also finds the container full of her paintings, which Yuri secretly bought to prop up her career as an artist. Ava takes their son and leaves him for good. When Yuri tries to reconcile with his parents, his mother angrily disowns him for getting Vitaly killed.

Valentine detains Yuri in anticipation of his trial and conviction, but Yuri is unfazed. He then tells Valentine that, in a matter of minutes, a high-ranking American army officer will arrive and release him without any charges being filed. He explains that while he may be a criminal, the U.S. government is willing to turn a blind eye to his crimes because most of his weapons end up in the hands of their allies, who they cannot be seen publicly supplying with arms. Valentine then hears a knock at the door and realizes that Yuri is right, but before walking away, he says "I would tell you to go to hell, but I think you're already there."

Yuri soon returns to the arms trade, claiming that it's what he does best. The film concludes with a statement on how the five largest arms producers in the world are also the five permanent members of the [[United Nations Security Council]].

==Cast==
* [[Nicolas Cage]] as Yuri Orlov
* [[Ethan Hawke]] as Jack Valentine
* [[Jared Leto]] as Vitaly Orlov
* [[Bridget Moynahan]] as Ava Fontaine
* [[Eamonn Walker]] as André Baptiste Sr.
* [[Sammi Rotibi]] as André Baptiste Jr.
* [[Ian Holm]] as Simeon Weisz
* [[Yevgeni Lazarev|Eugene Lazarev]] as General Dmitri Volkov
* Nalu Tripician as Nikolai Orlov
* Larissa Bond as waitress

==Production==

The producer largely financed the film with funding from outside the U.S. He claimed this was due to the highlighting of U.S. involvement in the international arms trade.<ref>[http://www.cinemareview.com/production.asp?prodid=3109]</ref>

Some of the Russian language dialogues in the film (mostly those by [[Yevgeni Lazarev|Eugene Lazarev]] as Gen. Volkov) contain very obscene [[Mat (Russian profanity)|Russian mat]] wording, translated by far softer expressions in the original English [[subtitles]]. It is unclear whether these pieces were part of the script, or Lazarev's [[improvisation]].

A scene in the film featured 50 tanks, which were provided by a Czech source. The tanks were only available until December of the year of filming, as the dealer needed them to sell in Libya.<ref>''[[History Television]]'', series '''Fact and Film''', episode "Lord of War"</ref> The production team bought 3000 real SA [[Vz. 58]] rifles to stand in for [[AK-47]]s because they were cheaper than prop guns.<ref name="NZ_Herald_10345429">{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10345429 |title=Director finds real guns cheaper than props |date=September 14, 2005 |agency=[[NZPA]] |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120906102255/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10345429 |archive-date=6 September 2012 |access-date=October 15, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Release==

===Critical reception===
''Lord of War'' received fairly positive reviews from critics; the film received a 61% rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]]; the consensus states: "While ''Lord of War'' is an intelligent examination of the gun trade, it is too scattershot in its plotting to connect."<ref>{{rotten tomatoes|lord_of_war|Lord of War}}</ref> The film also received a special mention for excellence in filmmaking from the [[National Board of Review]]. [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', gave the film three and a half out of four stars, writing "After movies like ''[[Hotel Rwanda]]'', ''[[Before the Rain (1994 film)|Before the Rain]]'' and ''[[Welcome to Sarajevo]],'' the cold cynicism of ''Lord of War'' plays like a deadly footnote."<ref name="Klewer-CCS">{{cite web|title=Lord of War |publisher=[[RogerEbert.com]] |date=September 2005 |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/lord-of-war-2005 |access-date=2020-03-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200120195815/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/lord-of-war-2005 |archive-date=2020-01-20 |url-status=live }}</ref>

It received a 62/100 score from [[Metacritic]].<ref>{{metacritic film|lord-of-war|Lord of War}}</ref>

===Box office===
The film grossed $9,390,144 on its opening weekend, ranking number three at the North American box office behind ''[[Just Like Heaven (film)|Just Like Heaven]]'' and ''[[The Exorcism of Emily Rose]]''. After the film's 7 weeks of release, it grossed a total of $24,149,632 on the domestic market (US and Canada), and $48,467,436 overseas, for a worldwide total of $72,617,068.<ref name="bom">{{mojo title|lordofwar|Lord of War}}</ref>

==Home media==
''Lord of War'' was released on Blu-ray & DVD on January 18, 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/1413/Lord-of-War-(2005).html|title=Lord of War DVD Release Date January 17, 2006|website=DVDs Release Dates|language=en|access-date=2019-01-23}}</ref> A 4K [[UHD Blu-ray]] transfer of ''Lord of War'' was released on March 19, 2019.<ref>{{Citation|title=Lord of War 4K Blu-ray|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=24430|access-date=2019-01-23}}</ref>

The UK DVD release of ''Lord of War'' includes, prior to the film, an advertisement for [[Amnesty International]], showing the [[AK-47]] being sold on a [[shopping channel]] of the style popular on [[cable network]]s. The American DVD release includes a bonus feature that shows the various weapons used in the film, allowing viewers to click on each weapon to get statistics about their physical dimensions and histories. The DVD bonus section also contains a [[public service announcement]] from [[Nicolas Cage]] that addresses the issue of illicit arms sales.

==See also==
* ''[[While There's War There's Hope]]'' (1974 film), Italian film directed and starring [[Alberto Sordi]]; a film with similar subject and topic coverage
* [[War Dogs (2016 film)|''War Dogs'' (2016 film)]], biopic about international arms dealers

==Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|http://www.lordofwarthemovie.com}}
* {{IMDb title|0399295}}
* {{tcmdb title|620707}}
* {{allrovi movie|314426}}
* {{mojo title|lordofwar}}
* {{rotten tomatoes|lord_of_war}}
* {{metacritic film|lord-of-war}}

{{Andrew Niccol}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lord Of War}}
[[Category:2005 films]]
[[Category:2005 crime thriller films]]
[[Category:2005 crime drama films]]
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:American crime thriller films]]
[[Category:American political drama films]]
[[Category:German films]]
[[Category:German crime thriller films]]
[[Category:German crime drama films]]
[[Category:French films]]
[[Category:French crime thriller films]]
[[Category:French crime drama films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:Films about arms trafficking]]
[[Category:Films about Interpol]]
[[Category:Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in fiction]]
[[Category:Crime films based on actual events]]
[[Category:Films directed by Andrew Niccol]]
[[Category:Films set in Liberia]]
[[Category:Films set in Sierra Leone]]
[[Category:Films set in Berlin]]
[[Category:Films set in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
[[Category:Films set in Colombia]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1980s]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1990s]]
[[Category:Films set in the 2000s]]
[[Category:Films shot in the Czech Republic]]
[[Category:Lionsgate films]]
[[Category:Anti-war films]]
[[Category:Saturn Films films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Nicolas Cage]]
[[Category:2000s political films]]
[[Category:2000s war films]]
[[Category:Crime war films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Antônio Pinto]]
[[Category:Films set in Beirut]]
[[Category:Films set in Bolivia]]

Lord of War - Revision history

Flying Bee at 04:18, 12 August 2021