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| Lord of War [Blu-ray] | ![Lord of War [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FKfapMLJL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Andrew Niccol
Actors: Nicolas Cage, Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, Shake Tukhmanyan
Studio: Lions Gate
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $15.00
You Save: $14.99 (50%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $13.19
Avg. Customer Rating:  (209 reviews)
Sales Rank: 584
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Dts Surround Sound, Subtitled
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Blu-ray
Running Time: 122 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: LGEBR19150
UPC: 031398191506
EAN: 0031398191506
ASIN: B000EWBKK8
Release Date: June 27, 2006
Theatrical Release Date: 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
How can such a bleak situation be so entertaining? March 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Lord of War" follows the story of a young immigrant who becomes a dealer in a shady business, rises to the top and eventually faces tragedy and loss. Sound Familiar?
Comparisons to "Scarface," in which a Cuban immigrant gains prominence as a drug lord, are not far off the mark. "Traffic" is another obvious influence. "Lord of War" also takes us deep into a business where money takes precedence over morals.
Nicolas Cage is Yuri Orlov, a Ukrainian immigrant raised in Brooklyn. After witnessing a shooting, he decides that guns are his calling. With help from his troubled brother, Vitaly (excellently played by Jared Leto), he eventually surpasses international arms dealers who shrugged him off as an "amateur" only years before. He puts it best when he says, "I sold to every army but the Salvation Army."
Cage's performance is great and drives home the fact that Yuri is just a man doing his job, and what his buyers do with his product is none of his business. He's collected and professional on the outside, but it seems that he knows what he's doing is immoral. He basically ignores that thought and continues fulfilling his purpose, although he witness events that can only occur because of people like him, such as village massacres in Africa and the use of child soldiers (since an AK-47 is so easy to use that a child can handle it).
Cage portrays a man who enjoys what he does, even if he is full of inner turbulence because of his occupation. He grows weary by the end of the 20 year period in which the movie is set, yet he's come too far to stop. Pleas from his trophy wife, Ava (Bridget Maynahan), and Vitaly do no good in the long run. Yuri becomes a lost cause, and an arrogant one at that. It's necessary to go into such detail about Yuri, since he's such a complex and charismatic character who carries the film along much of the time.
The movie is rather dark, with humor that may cause a nervous chuckle instead of uncontrollable laugher. It's more of a satire than a comedy, as some people seem to label it. Rebellions are seen as business opportunities while peace agreements are viewed as obstacles. Yuri cheers and kisses Mikhail Gorbachev's head on his television at the fall of the Berlin Wall, which opened the floodgates in the Third World black arms market. Interpol officer Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke) catches Yuri transporting his merchandise several times, but no one is arrested because of a loophole, technicality or obvious cover up. The U.S. president is called the biggest arms dealer of them all and potshots are taken at democracy. This list goes on.
"Lord of War" paints a bleak and cynical view of the world. Yuri sums up the theme of the movie when he says, "They say evil prevails when good men fail to act. What they ought to say is that evil prevails."
There are times when the movie falters. It takes awhile to really get going and sometimes the characters seem a little too upbeat, given their circumstances. Despite any minor shortcomings, the movie is still intriguing, entertaining, thought-provoking, moving, and borderline brilliant at times. The strong performances and plot, plus a unique style, make "Lord of War" one of the better movies of 2005.
Highly recommended.
Great movie, could use the format better. March 26, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a phenominal movie. I am a huge Cage fan so I picked it up without having seen the film before. I was very happy with it. Unfortunately it is JUST the movie on this disk and it is remeniscient of the early days of DVD where you only got the movie, then later you would be prompted to buy the special edition with special features. It would have been nice to have had some special features on this disk, it really could have been an interesting bit of extra.
Overall, a great purchase, especially if you don't care about special features.
 cynical, deadly, evil, and pathetic March 19, 2008
This is a pretty good film about a man who self-actualizes the corruption that is in the deepest part of his soul as a black market arms dealer. Cage narrates this life - out only for himself, regardless of who he helps to kill - and it is effective to a degree. We witness his rise, his many ruses to avoid prison or execution, and its repercussions on his personal life. I admit, Cage's dark humor and splendidly indifferent tone are at times funny and affecting. But the best characterizations, I think, are in the people he encounters, from the cold rival arms dealer he fights to the brutal African thug who makes him rich. It is very good acting.
Nonetheless, this is Hollywood trying to display some social conscience. There is a kind of breathlessness to it, like they are revealing something to the audience, almost as reporting, but I found its sincerity rather naive. While it is good to expose audiences to this, I suppose, the tone of the film implies that none of us know about these kinds of people already. (I, for one, have been following the issue since 1982, when I read The Global Politics of Arms Sales, by Andrew Pierre, which is a great academic masterwork, or Anthony Sampson's reporting on it from the early 1980s.)
There is no way you can say airing these issues is bad. Recommended for those who haven't follwed the issue of international arms trafficing.
Why only a 1:78 aspect ratio? Theatre release was 2:40 ratio.... January 25, 2008
I recently picked up the 2 Disc SE to find that the picture was cropped to 1:78. I see the Blu Ray version is listed at the proper 2:40 ratio. What gives????
I heard that the single disc edition states 1:78 ratio on the back of the case but is actually in 2:40. Can anyone verify this?
 Scarey, scarey, scarey January 17, 2008
The basic plot of the movie is that our hero (not) Yuri Orlov rises from an impoverished immigrant childhood to be a colossus of international gun-running. He provides everything from AK-47s to tanks to grenades, and he provides them to anyone with the money to pay.
I admire the creators of this picture for having the guts to openly discuss what is clearly a horrible and insane business. Nicholas Cage as Yuri is weirdly detached from the implications of his "job",and Jared Leto as his high-strung and drug-addled younger brother is wonderful as a pained voice of conscience. If I had a brother like this, I think I would become a nun with Mother Theresa's Missionaries of Charity or something, in a desperate bid to balance out the family karma.
The violence of Yuri's world is no-nonsense, and not for the faint of heart. This movie really made me think.
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