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Lord of War

  • 2005
  • 12
  • 2h 2m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
351K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,086
429
Nicolas Cage in Lord of War (2005)
Trailer for this action film starring Nicholas Cage as a gun runner
Play trailer2:08
2 Videos
99+ Photos
True CrimeCrimeDrama

An arms dealer confronts the morality of his work as he is being chased by an INTERPOL Agent.An arms dealer confronts the morality of his work as he is being chased by an INTERPOL Agent.An arms dealer confronts the morality of his work as he is being chased by an INTERPOL Agent.

  • Director
    • Andrew Niccol
  • Writer
    • Andrew Niccol
  • Stars
    • Nicolas Cage
    • Ethan Hawke
    • Jared Leto
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    351K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,086
    429
    • Director
      • Andrew Niccol
    • Writer
      • Andrew Niccol
    • Stars
      • Nicolas Cage
      • Ethan Hawke
      • Jared Leto
    • 541User reviews
    • 164Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 3 nominations total

    Videos2

    Lord of War: Blu-Ray
    Trailer 2:08
    Lord of War: Blu-Ray
    Lord of War
    Trailer 2:12
    Lord of War
    Lord of War
    Trailer 2:12
    Lord of War

    Photos194

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    + 188
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    Top cast76

    Edit
    Nicolas Cage
    Nicolas Cage
    • Yuri Orlov
    Ethan Hawke
    Ethan Hawke
    • Jack Valentine
    Jared Leto
    Jared Leto
    • Vitaly Orlov
    Bridget Moynahan
    Bridget Moynahan
    • Ava Fontaine
    Shake Tukhmanyan
    • Irina Orlov
    • (as Shake Toukhmanian)
    Jean-Pierre Nshanian
    • Anatoly Orlov
    Jared Burke
    Jared Burke
    • Ukrainian Mobster
    Eric Uys
    Eric Uys
    • Ukrainian Mobster
    David Shumbris
    David Shumbris
    • Ukrainian Mobster
    Stewart Morgan
    • Ukrainian Mobster
    Jasper Lenz
    • Gregor
    Stephen Gregor
    • Eli Kurtzman
    Kobus Marx
    • Boris
    Stephan De Abreu
    • Liev
    Jeremy Crutchley
    Jeremy Crutchley
    • Arms Fair Salesman
    Ian Holm
    Ian Holm
    • Simeon Weisz
    Tanya Finch
    • Ingrid
    Lize Jooste
    • Natasha
    • Director
      • Andrew Niccol
    • Writer
      • Andrew Niccol
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews541

    7.6350.6K
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    Featured reviews

    9OriginalMovieBuff21

    Interesting film by a new starter, Andrew Niccol

    Lord of War is about an arms dealer named Yuri Orlov who confronts the morality of his work while being chased by an Interpol agent. This is a very interesting film brought by director and writer of the film, Andrew Niccol (Gattaca). This is another great film of his that will boost up his career even more. Nicolas Cage puts up another great performance of the year and although his acting is very ostentatious, his narrating just like in The Weather Man, which came out a couple months later, is perfect. The dialogue is very good and the script couldn't be any better. Most of all, I clearly gave respect to Andrew Niccol, because honestly, he deserves the most credit out of any one who worked on the film. My hat goes off for him. Overall, great film of 2005 and I'll be paying more attention to Andrew Niccol's movies. I highly recommend it.

    Hedeen's Outlook: 8.5/10 ***+ B+
    wahzoh

    A Surprising Morality Tale

    I was really surprised that Hollywood was able to tackle a huge moral morass like the black market arms trade and leave the moral issues in the audience's lap. Yuri (played by Nicholas Cage) goes to work in a particularly ugly world. When he says that he's had a bad day at the office, you can be pretty sure that someone has been shot or blown up. At any event, what I liked about this picture was that although Yuri obviously has some moral issues to wrestle with, he does so on his own terms, and we are left to figure out the rights and the wrongs. Since most movie-goers don't like to leave a movie with food for thought, this picture may not play very broadly in theaters, but I hope it gets a good audience on video. I also though that Jared Leto was wonderful as Yuri's tragically addicted and unhappy brother.
    9ScottDMenzel

    Another powerful well-made political drama with an excellent story and a powerful performance by Nicolas Cage

    "Lord of War" is about a man named Yuri (Nicolas Cage) who in the early 80's decides that he doesn't want to just work in a restaurant for the rest of his life and decides that instead he wants to be an arms dealer. Once he makes his first sale, Yuri is hooked on the feeling of making big money for selling firearms, and continues to sell the firearms but he wants more and more of a profit and more and more of a challenge. It's not until an Interpol agent (Ethan Hawke) is hot on Yuri's case that he begins to question the nature of his business and whether what he is doing for a living is moral and if he should be responsible for the hands these weapons get into and what they are used for. A powerful performance by Nicolas Cage, as well as a great thought-provoking movie ensues… I love movies like this one for a few reasons. The main reason is that for the most part you can't predict what is going to happen next or where the film is going. Another reason I like movies like this is because it's powerful and its makes you think. And lastly I like a movie like this because it doesn't end in a typical way and actually leaves you feeling blown-away and surprised.

    The filmed starred Nicolas Cage who lately has done of some the best work of his career. His performance here is top-notch and powerful. There are so many other people in the film including Jared Leto, Ian Holm, Ethan Hawke and Bridget Moynahan to name a few who are also very good at the roles they played. This film is written and directed by Andre Niccol the same man who wrote "The Terminal" and "The Truman Show" so I guess I shouldn't be so surprised by why I actually liked this film so much, it had a good lead actor and a good screenwriter.

    I guess this movie all comes down to how open minded the movie-goers who see this are. I guess it also amounts to where you stand on the political fence. The film is not for those who don't have an open mind about things that are going on in the world today. The movie is based on true events so be warned that some of things shown in the film are happening in real life or did happen at one point in time. To be honest, I do believe what the film states in the end, it doesn't seem at all far fetched. It's like Yuri says in the film "it's not our war and no matter what we do we can't stop it" and that's true it's like smoking kills people every day but there are people who run cigarette companies everyday knowing that they are killing people every single day and getting people addicted to something that in the end will kill them. Is that moral? What can we do to stop it? These are questions this film asks and leaves it to the viewer to decide on.

    So in the end, this movie isn't for everyone. In a sense this film is kind of like the movie "Blow" because it's about a man who feels his life isn't complete without selling something that is bad. He has everything he could ever want but still needs to sell the firearms. It's an amazing and powerful story which I feel really puts things in perspective as far as us Americans look at things. Nicolas Cage's performance is incredible as he seems to not care at all for the people's lives he puts at stake every day and when it comes to his own life he still seems unemotional and doesn't seem to worry. Personally I think this is one of the best film's of year and is in fact just as good as the other political drama currently released called "The Constant Gardner" so if you have an open mind about things and enjoy movies that will make you think, well check out "Lord of War" because it's well worth the price of admission at the theater.

    MovieManMenzel's final rating for "Lord of War" is a 9/10.
    8SnoopyStyle

    Great Nicolas Cage

    Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) is an Ukrainian immigrant living Little Odessa in New York. Vitaly (Jared Leto) is his brother. His dream girl is the neighborhood beauty queen Ava Fontaine (Bridget Moynahan). After witnessing a gangland hit, he decides to start selling weapons along with his brother. Meanwhile, he's being hounded by incorruptible Interpol agent Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke) and fellow gunrunner Simeon Weisz (Ian Holm).

    I love the matter-of-factness to Cage's narration. The story is fascinating and spans the world. But it's Cage that sells it. He still has the charm. Before you realize it, you're rooting for an amoral death dealer, a Lord of War. Jared Leto is terrific as the drugged out brother who's struggling with more than his addiction. This is one of the better black comedies with an anti-gun message.
    10gogoschka-1

    Just An Incredibly Well Made Film

    Apart from the very serious topic, this is just an incredibly well made film. There are many scenes in this movie which stay with you long after the credits have rolled, the darkly funny ones as well as the truly horrific ones, and to me this is something only the best movies ever achieve. Intelligent and stylish: this is one of very few so called "films with a message" that I can watch again and again, because it's so cleverly constructed and so beautifully shot and acted. A personal favorite, 10 stars out of 10.

    Favorite films: IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

    Lesser-Known Masterpieces: imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to writer and director Andrew Niccol, the filmmakers worked with actual gunrunners in the making of this movie. The tanks lined up for sale were real, and belonged to a Czech arms dealer, who had to have them back to sell to another country. They used a real stockpile of over three thousand vz. 58 from Czech production, which look very similar to the Russian AK-47, because it was cheaper than getting prop guns.
    • Goofs
      When narrating the story about early stages of his business in 1980s, Yuri Orlov mentions that he has carried several passports at that time, including the Ukrainian passport. Ukraine didn't get to issue its own passports until 1992.
    • Quotes

      Yuri Orlov: [Narrating] Of all the weapons in the vast Soviet arsenal, nothing was more profitable than Avtomat Kalashnikova model of 1947, more commonly known as the AK-47, or Kalashnikov. It's the world's most popular assault rifle. A weapon all fighters love. An elegantly simple 9 pound amalgamation of forged steel and plywood. It doesn't break, jam, or overheat. It will shoot whether it's covered in mud or filled with sand. It's so easy, even a child can use it; and they do. The Soviets put the gun on a coin. Mozambique put it on their flag. Since the end of the Cold War, the Kalashnikov has become the Russian people's greatest export. After that comes vodka, caviar, and suicidal novelists. One thing is for sure, no one was lining up to buy their cars.

    • Crazy credits
      Before the end credits roll a message appears stating that the top 5 sellers of arms in the world are China, Russia, the UK, USA, and France - all of whom make up the permanent five members of the UN security council.
    • Alternate versions
      For the US DVD release the aspect ratio of the film was changed to 1,78:1. A few weeks after the initial release the DVD was reissued with the film in its original aspect ratio of 2,35:1.
    • Connections
      Featured in Making a Killing: Inside the International Arms Trade (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      For What It's Worth
      Written by Stephen Stills

      Performed by Buffalo Springfield

      Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group

      By arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing

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    FAQ21

    • How long is Lord of War?Powered by Alexa
    • What is meant by the characters when they refer to an 'end user certificate'?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 4, 2006 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • Germany
      • United States
      • France
    • Languages
      • English
      • Ukrainian
      • German
      • Spanish
      • Russian
      • French
      • Arabic
      • Turkish
    • Also known as
      • Hombre peligroso
    • Filming locations
      • Bozi Dar aerodrome, Bozi Dar, Czech Republic(Ukrainian ammunition depot)
    • Production companies
      • Entertainment Manufacturing Company
      • VIP 3 Medienfonds
      • Ascendant Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $50,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $24,149,632
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $9,390,144
      • Sep 18, 2005
    • Gross worldwide
      • $72,617,068
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 2 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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