Lord of War: A Bulletproof Satire

Right, so I finally got around to watching *Lord of War*, and what a trip it was. Nicolas Cage, doing his typical wide-eyed madman thing, but this time with a suit and a snazzy tie, playing Yuri Orlov, the world’s slipperiest arms dealer. And you’ve got Ethan Hawke, always reminding me of my younger, more rebellious days, chasing him down like he’s got nothing better to do. Directed by Andrew Niccol, who has a knack for exploring the darker sides of human ambition, the film barrels through the shadowy world of gunrunning with all the subtlety of a John Woo shootout.

This film’s got chutzpah, I’ll say that. Explosions, guns, moral grey zones so big you could drive a Volvo through them. It’s all there. But sometimes, I gotta admit, the movie feels like it’s trying a bit too hard to juggle its serious message with flashy cinematics. Maybe it’s just the Swede in me craving a bit more restraint.

But Cage. Oh, Cage. Love him or loathe him, you can’t deny that there’s something captivating about his performance. Like a chaotic symphony crashing through the globe, his Yuri skips from country to country with almost comical ease. There’s a scene where he’s in a decaying Ukrainian town, it stirred up memories of a trip I took to Östersund in my youth. There, with a friend who swore he could outdrink the Russians, I learned that the shadows of big politics reach even the coziest corners of the earth.

Now, is it a flawless film? Nah, far from it, but it’s an intriguing piece that gets your noggin working. Just remember to keep some coffee handy for the occasional lull. And maybe a waffle. Everything’s better with a waffle.

Check the trailer below