Lord of War: A Film on the Geopolitical Stage
Was Nicolas Cage given to Russia in exchange for Britney Griner?
As the news of Britney Griner’s release from Russia began sweeping the internet, I didn’t see any need to weigh in here as an aspiring movie and TV show commentator. Until I saw who the U.S. was released in exchange for her freedom, Viktor Bout. My intention here is not to sway into the arena of complex geopolitics or place judgment on the trade, yet there are rare moments where these global topics intersect with the film realm. You’ve probably seen that Vikot is indeed an arms dealer, but you probably didn’t know his story was spun into a 2005 movie called Lord of War.
This movie is based on the notorious Bout’s real-life international illegal arms trade. Similar to other early 2000s films such as Thank you for Smoking and Up In The Air, the movie is among those that dissected the ins and outs of lucrative yet destructive professions. Arms dealing classifies as one of those… As the film adequately states in its prologue, “There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That’s one firearm for every 12 people on the planet. The only question is: how do we arm the other 11?”.
That powerful and unnerving premise ushered in one of Cage’s most notable onscreen roles. As the movie follows Orlov’s quest to put a weapon in as many humans’ hands as possible, Cage’s shining performance illuminates’ audiences to the underground international theater of modern warfare.
Cage delivers a contrasting character compared to his other films, with his usual archetype of a good guy that has to do bad things to achieve the good. Such as stealing 50 cars to save his brother in Gone in 60 Seconds or kidnapping the president in National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Whereas in this movie, he’s playing an evil character to the core with no principle of mortality underlying his actions.
On a macro level, Lord of War is a distinctive action movie, and on a deeper level contains a nuanced yet subtle message. As Orlov quickly rises in the “industry”, we experience the various exploits involved in his line of work. All of these make for exciting action sequences and serve to drive the plot. But throughout those experiences, the movie weaves in an element of morality. Without having to tell the audience what they’re watching is explicitly bad, the movie demonstrates an unseen depraved underbelly breaking our perceived reality of the world.
With any “based on a true story” movie, one has to wonder what’s fact from fiction. In this case, Lord of War’s Yuri Orlov is based on several global arms dealers, the chief among them being Viktor Bout. Many aspects of Orlov’s life in the movie were straight from the allegations Bout faced in his personal life, his testimony at trial, his illegal activities, and the implied connections from those allegations. How good was Bout at his job, and subsequently, how horrible of a person? The movie bluntly says that by the mid-80s, his weapons were represented in 8 of the top 10 war zones.
The high-profile story is only matched by the high-caliber cast this movie employed. In addition to Cage, we have Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto, and Bridget Moynahan. All of whom deliver performances that are in line with your expectations and only further draw you into the story. Creating multiple elements within the larger story of Orlov’s illegal activities.
As an action movie with a global perspective, it manages to intertwine local issues involving war-torn countries and the contrasting lifestyle of those microcosms. It’s touched on briefly but leaves the audience with a different viewpoint regarding the atrocities humans commit against one another. It’s essential to keep in mind in our quests for success, kindness and its sibling compassion are what alleviate society. Not a quest for success at the expense of others.
If you’re interested in the exploits of Viktor Bout, who at the time of writing is a free man again after serving less than half of his 25 year-sentence, then Lord of War is a great place to start. Or if you’re just in the market for an action movie you haven’t seen before, this is a good choice. Lord of War landed as an 8.2/10 on my scale.
Trailer:
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