FanUnity B(uzz)log

Yuri Orlov isn't The Devil. He only seems that way for most of "Lord Of War." Having swaddled himself neatly inside of a Lie, Yuri Orlov sells guns to the warlords, despots and guerrilas of the world, supplying them with the means to execute acts of violence so terrible that the average person's stomach would churn at the sight of them. But not Yuri Orlov. He's absolutely, 100% certain that if he were not dealing these arms, then someone else would be. The consequences of his actions are not for him to be concerned with. Those who would be slaughtered would be slaughtered either way, so why shouldn't he be the one to profit from the inevitable? It's not his fight.

As "Lord Of War" unfolds, it becomes clear that Yuri Orlov is not The Devil. He's just a man that's sold his soul. A gifted and creative arms smuggler, Yuri is able to make deals happen more efficiently than his competitors, and capitalize in the post-Cold War era in a way they cannot, partially thanks to his connections in the Ukraine. At first he starts as a man who presents himself as having great wealth, but soon that particular lie becomes true. When his trophy wife asks him why he won't stop selling illegal arms even though Interpol has nearly pinned him down — they have more than enough money, she says — Yuri says that he's _good_ at it. The empire Yuri builds, with its foundation lies and death, appropriately is reduced to death in the end. The death of his marriage, the death of his chance to be a father, the death of his brother, the death of his uncle and the death of his relationship with his own father and mother. Yuri Orlov starts "Lord Of War" morally bankrupt, and ends it bankrupt of everything but money.

"Lord Of War" was directed and written by Andrew Niccol, whose most famous work is his script for "The Truman Show", but whose best work is the excellent sci-fi drama "Gattaca." What made "Gattaca" great was its thoughtful premise and careful execution of that premise through interesting characters. Likewise, "Lord Of War" succeeds. Although Nicholas Cage's Yuri Orlov is a disgusting human being, he's entertaining to watch. It's rare that a movie allows us the opportunity to follow the villian's story, with the hero as the secondary character. Ethan Hawke's Interpol Jack Valentine is the hero of this story, such as it is, and its natural to root for Jack to take down the clever Yuri.

"Lord Of War" is a thought provoking film. Moral relativism, the acceptance that Right and Wrong can vary depending on a person's point of view, is the prevailing cultural norm in this day and age. It's what pop-psychology and MTV preach to us. "Lord Of War" slaps moral relativism in the face with a white glove, and challenges it to a duel. Yuri Orlov is a very Wrong man, but from his point of view, he is not evil. Yet he is undeniabley evil by pretty much any standard except his own. Moral relativism gets a bullett between the eyes, as coldly as one of Yuri Orlov's adviseries.

I went to see "Lord Of War" because it was written and directed by the guy who did "Gattaca", which is one of my favorite films of all-time. That Andrew Niccol hadn't created anything nearly as interesting as "Gattaca" since 1997 was a disappointment, but "Lord Of War" is the type of smart, challenging and entertaining film that I'd hoped I would see more of from him. Hopefully his next effort, co-authoring with director Shakur Kapur a script for a movie called "Paani", a futuristic tale involving an Earth where water is scarse and wars are fought over it, will be more like "Gattaca" and "Lord Of War" and less like "The Truman Show" and "S1m0ne."

4/5 Stars.