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Lord of War Movie Review Summary

Actors: Nicolas Cage, Bridget Moynahan, Jared Leto, Ian Holm, Ethan Hawke

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of Lord of War


This is about the life of an arms dealer that began from nothing and became the face of the industry within 20 years. The setting of the Lord of War is a narrative of the main character; Nicholas Cage, as he explains his life from the beginning of the film as an amateur weapons dealer to the end where he is the embodiment of arms trafficking. The Lord of War is set in the 80's and the early 90's of New York, Russia and some parts of the African continent at that period. The main characters of the film were Nicholas cage, Bridget Moynahan and Jared Leto. The film ranges from the ghetto life of the New York districts as well as the plush sectors of the city. It also shows us the sub-Saharan life in Sierra Leone at the dictatorship period and switches periodically between the two as a comparison. Nicholas cage comes off as an omniscient being that ‘has been there done that'. The film essentially is about the gun trade and its recent history up to date. The difference is that it shows through characters' perspectives and not through faceless statistics.
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Nicolas Cage who plays Yuri embarks on a hazardous journey that seemed mildly dangerous at first but would lead him where few had gone. He included his brother in the enterprise as his partner who he could trust. Ultimately, the film brings to mind the theme of accountability. This displays itself, by the way, that the film starts. A bullet is made in a factory, and we as the viewers, view the image as the camera shows the bullets perspective. The bullet grows through a local factory and the manufacturers.

Then through a series of trades and exchanges, it lands in the hands of an arms dealer, through a loaded rifle discharges. The bullet proceeds to splatter the head of a child less than ten years old in war torn Sub-Saharan Africa. The film is quite hard hitting and is meant for consumption by an older audience. For all its drug abuse and raunchy scenes with hookers, it makes you think. It is captivating because of its unpredictability. The costumes and lighting fit the sad, realist mood of today's world. It is quite philosophical and brings a concept of the necessary evil in the world.
Best part of story, including ending: It portrays one of the necessary evils that will probably never end in the present world.

Best scene in story: My favorite scene in the movie was at the end when the main character Nicholas Cage was caught by the authorities. The prosecuting Interpol agent: Jack Valentine was extremely satisfied that he had finally caught him after years of ending up with nothing. The main character looked at him calmly and explained through current news and known facts why he was not going to go to prison in step by step detail. The events happened exactly as he had said when he finished talking. It shows that the main character was always one step ahead even though it may not have seemed so.

Opinion about the main character: He does not show affection for the things which are really important to him like his wife or children by spending appropriate time with them.

The review of this Movie prepared by Nicholas Waithaka a Level 3 Eurasian Jay scholar

    Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage), who is an International arms dealer. Yuri and his brother called Vitaly (Jared Leto) are partners in crime in the movie. Yuri struggles to stay one step ahead of an agent after him, his business rivals and even some of his customers as well as many of the world's most notorious dictators. This movie is rated R for strong violence, drug use, language, and sexuality.

    Yuri is a guy grows up in New York and he is dead broke but he has dreams of being rich. Yuri tried too hard to making a good living by doing thing the right way, didn't worked out well for him. Yuri decided to not be broke anymore and get rich over night, so he started selling guns to local gangs. After that Yuri started selling guns to small countries and eventually he became the world largest arm dealer. Finally Yuri must also face his own conscience.

The review of this Movie prepared by Faiza Iqtidar




Written and directed by Andrew Niccol (Gattaca) in 2004. Yuri Orlov, whose parents are native from Ukraine, starts his career as an arms dealer in NYC in the beginning of the 80's. He specialized then in purchasing stocks of weapons from armies leaving a country at war as, for instance, in Lebanon. Accompanied by his brother Vitaly, Yuri, little by little, will take an important place in the discrete world of arms dealers. At the end of the 80's, he must renounce to work with Vitaly who became a cocaine addict but, following the fall of the Berlin Wall, Yuri becomes immensely wealthy after having met his uncle Dimitri Orlov, a Russian General, in station in Ukraine. General Orlov allows Yuri to get to the ex-Soviet army's stocks of weapons Yuri will sell back to African dictators who become, in the 90's, his privileged clients.

But, soon, things run badly for Yuri: General Orlov dies in the explosion of his car, murdered by Simeon Weisz, Yuri's competitor, and Jack Valentine, an Interpol police officer, decides to do everything he can to arrest Yuri. Jack visits Ava, Yuri's wife, and reveals the real nature of her husband's activities to her. Yuri, who loves his family above all, gives up arms dealing then but 6 months later, he is contacted by André Baptiste, an old client and also dictator of Liberia, who desperately needs weapons. Yuri, accompanied by his brother Vitaly flies to Africa but the deal goes wrong: Vitaly is killed and, back in NYC, Yuri is arrested by Jack Valentine.
The review of this Movie prepared by Daniel Staebler



Script Analysis of Lord of War

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Plot & Themes

Composition of Book Actual chase scenes or violence 20%Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives 30%Feelings, relationships, character bio/development 50% Time/Era of Movie:    -   present 2000+ Spying & Terrorists    -   Yes The terrorist enemy is...    -   arms dealers

Main Character

Identity:    -   Male Profession/status:    -   criminal Age:    -   20's-30's

Setting

Africa    -   Yes Part of Africa:    -   Black Africa The Americas (not US):    -   Yes City?    -   Yes City:    -   New York

Writing Style

Sex/nudity in movie?    -   Yes What kind of sex:    -   kissing    -   seeing nude female butt Any profanity?    -   Occasional swearing

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