Lord of War

Review by Clint Morris

If mediocre films that adorn gripping DVD audio commentaries are your bag – then take a ticket, you’ll be happy with the service.

If, on the other hand, you’re the type that likes a side serving of ‘something interesting going on on-screen’ with your ‘interesting narration’ – then best to invest in something in Nicolas Cage’s back-catalogue – which, I gotta say, is much more impressive than what he’s been up to lately – instead of losing two hours of your life with his latest, Lord of War.

It’s a true sign that something’s a little off when the actor’s narration is more gripping than the events unfolding on screen – but it’s sadly the case with Cage’s new shooters satire. Sure, Cage can be quite a captivating fellow, but when the ‘stuff on screen’ starts to distract from his amusing chitter-chatter narration, something’s definitely wrong. A film’s audio can sometimes make or break a film – especially, like this film, if it’s narrated, or, like so many films, they’ve got a vibrant soundtrack – but never should it be so much better than the on-screen action. Someone needs to get his or her film school texts out again.

Cage narrates and stars in Lord of War, an enjoyable-enough but mostly-strange little blend of humour, action, drama, romance and satire that chronicles a Ukrainian man’s success as an arms dealer. With his Brighton beach-raised brother (Jared Leto), he ultimately leaves behind the slums for an access-all-areas trek around the world, and a ticket to the big time (which includes scoring his long-time dream girl, a supermodel played by Bridget Moynahan).

Much like his Truman Show, writer Andrew Niccol (also directing here) meshes drama with humour here, albeit less successfully than before. The constant genre switcheroo is ultimately off-putting, rather than inspired. For instance, while the light and amusing first half of the film is quite enjoyable, the second half, when the film transforms into an almost heavy-going drama, is a rather unwelcome change. Worst of all though, Niccol neglects to cram anything very interesting into that second half of the movie – seemingly using all his ideas for the first act.

Acing-wise, Cage is his usual standout self, and it’s a better movie for having him in it, but at the end of the day, War seems so uneven in tone and obviously uncertain what conflict its driving at, that no virtuoso turn can turn this bronze offering into gold.

EXTRAS

Available in a single-disc edition or a double-disc edition, that includes a couple of okay documentaries, a commentary, deleted scenes and trailers. As you can see from the Extras score, it's a middle of the road offering - no more, no less.

Conclusion: Movie 50% Extras: 50%