It is no secret that International Arms dealers have been supplying guns, ammunition, bombs, etc. to governments and insurgents worldwide and that these sales have been going on for decades. Though they are illegal, many of these dealers have ties to dictators, rebel leaders, and allied government forces. In the 1980's there was even a government scandal (The Iran-Contra Affair) that exposed just how far up the chain of command the orders to sell arms went. Among those "helping" the government and profiting from the weapons sales was Russian-born Viktor Bout. In 2005 a film based loosely on Bout's life, called Lord of War, was released. This week a Best Buy exclusive 4K SteelBook of the movie goes on sale.
Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage; Renfield) came to the United States and settled in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York. After witnessing the deaths of two young men sent to kill a mafia boss, he decided to get involved with the lucrative business of selling guns. After making some small deals, Yuri brings his brother, Vitaly (Jared Leto; Dallas Buyers Club) into the business and together they become significant players in weapons trading. Over time though, Yuri sees the downfall of his occupation after Vitaly is killed, his parents disown him and his wife leaves him.
Director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca) uses a variety of shots and angles to keep the audience interested and on their toes. The opening sequence could be titled "the day in the life of a bullet" because we watch as the camera follows the creation of a bullet through the factory to the shipping crate into a shipping container then out of the container at the other end of the world into a gun pointed at some enemy. In some ways, that opening could be seen as synonymous with Yuri's journey from his humble beginnings selling an Uzi to a local mobster to becoming one of the largest Arms dealers in the world.
Cage has the bravado to pull off the role as the cocky dealer going toe to toe with rival dealers and dictators, not to mention Interpol. Ethan Hawke (Training Day) is young and eager as he portrays the Interpol agent relentlessly pursuing Yuri, whose sharp thinking and wit manage to keep him one step ahead of law enforcement most of the time. Despite being in his early thirties when Lord of War was filmed, Leto looks at least ten years younger as he plays a cocaine addict with a conscience who likes the money and lifestyle arms dealing affords him but has a hard time reconciling it with the tens of millions of innocent people who get murdered with the guns he and Yuri sell.
The 4K release isn't new but if you haven't seen it in 2160p resolution, you are missing out. While some of the effects don't hold up well, the picture quality and color palette are both excellent. The aforementioned opening sequence has some wonderful detail but at other moments the bullet and its journey look unnatural. The Dolby Atmos audio is superb with bullets and explosions flying past your head as you view the action onscreen. The dialogue is sharp and clean and overall the audio enhances the audience's experience.
The extras are all previously released and ported over from the 2019 version. They include Deleted Scenes, "The Making of Lord of War" Featurette, Making a Killing: Inside the International Arms Trade Featurette and, Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Andrew Niccol. The real treat here is the SteelBook, and more importantly, the plastic case that is the outer shell of the package. Parts of the design are printed on the plastic so as you remove the SteelBook from the sleeve Yuri's sunglasses come off and the bullets laid at his feet are gone.
For the layman who knows little to nothing about the intricacies and politics behind arms dealing, the film is an interesting study and very informative. As a film, it is a little uneven at times with the pacing going in spurts and fits. Overall, not a bad film to watch every few years but not one that would become a cult classic.
Grade: B
Purchase a copy of the Lord of War SteelBook today exclusively from Best Buy.
