Lord of War

“Bring me the gun of Rambo,” says a henchman to a Third World dictator in the powerful, thrilling, and thought-provoking new film Lord Of War. The “gun of Rambo” is just one of hundreds of lovingly photographed and fawned-over weapons in this compelling story based on true accounts: It will certainly be talked about for its pure bravado, but should also garner plenty of attention for what it has to say. And while the NRA won't love its prevailing message—that the global gun culture has spun out of control—they will get off on the poetic pistol prose served up in writer/director Andrew Niccol’s script. “Selling your first Uzi is like having sex,” says the morally vacant gunrunner played by Nicolas Cage, who also waxes rhapsodic over the beauty of Magnums, M60s, and AK-47s as he unloads them to all manner of shady world governments. Noting that war is good for business, Cage sums up his philosophy simply: “There is nothing more upsetting for an arms dealer than peace,” adding that at least when the Balkans say they will have a war, they keep their word. Equal parts satire, political thriller, and character study, this film is not easy to describe or digest, but it’s mostly successful in casting light on a dirty trade to which no one, not even the U.S. president, is immune. The performances are flawless, with Cage turning in one of his best ever and Ethan Hawke and Jared Leto leading a fine supporting cast. The film’s major misstep is an over-reliance on narration that, despite the script's brilliance, becomes pedantic before long. But overall Lord of War aims big, shoots from the hip, and hits its target right between the eyes.