Running as Root

Lord of War – 3 out of 5 stars

Nicolas Cage stars in this movie as a freelance illegal arms dealer operating through the 1980s and 1990s. The story centers around Cage selling arms to any and every side of the messier conflicts in that time period while trying to avoid capture by Interpol agent Ethan Hawke. Despite business being good, Cage's character's life is, understandably, falling apart in nearly every way.

While I can see some of the scenes being uncomfortable for sensitive viewers, I thought the movie was fairly good overall. Cage, as is often the case, delivers a powerful performance and makes even the most morally questionable characters appealing through his charismatic delivery. Despite the potentially heavy subject matter there are still quite a few funny moments, though the movie definitely tries to end on a darker note. Although none of the other actors stood out much in comparison I think Cage easily carries the film from the acting standpoint.

I give this movie a strong recommendation and I don't think you can go far wrong by renting it. On a side note, if you're looking for a lighter, funnier movie about arms dealers, consider the dated, pseudo-classic Deal of the Century.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 30th, 2006 at 8:56 pm and is filed under Entertainment, Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.