'Lord of War'

A-bomb?

LORD OF WAR could present a make-or-break situation for Andrew Niccol, whose first film, Gattaca, was as interesting as his second film, Simone, wasn't. Though the writer-director usually looks to the future for inspiration, Lord of War is set in the years immediately following the end of the cold war – big-bang time for Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage), an enterprising, Ukraine-born New Yorker who realizes his special gift lies in illegal arms dealing. Similar in structure to Blow – another as-years-go-by look at an international crook who manages to be both sympathetic and corrupt – but not as lousy with period details, Lord of War follows Yuri's rise, and rise, and rise in his chosen profession. At his apex he adds tanks and rocket launchers to his product line (thanks to family connections in the old country), and begins doing frequent business with Liberia's bloodthirsty dictator. It's a jazzy enough concept for a movie, and the cast – which also includes Jared Leto as Yuri's druggie brother; Bridget Moynahan as Yuri's oblivious trophy wife; and Ethan Hawke as Yuri's Interpol nemesis – is nearly as pretty as Niccol's flashy visual style. But Lord of War and Niccol ultimately falter, thanks in part to the film's breakneck pace, which zooms through the 1980s and '90s like a highlight reel of Yuri's misdeeds. As a result, character development gets the shaft, unless you're willing to accept Yuri's pithy voice-overs – stuffed with contrived little nuggets like "Forget gang wars. The real money is in actual wars!" – as evidence of personality. (Cheryl Eddy)