Another film from my 50 Films To See scroll, this time seeing Nicolas Cage portraying an international arms dealer, whose life of weapons, lies, and money becomes his biggest battlefield.
Directed by Andrew Niccol, the film is based on the real life of an actual gun runner, and it spans several decades of history. Many famous wars are involved, such as the African conflicts during the nineties, the Russian ones in the eighties, as well as modern warfare, but this film involves very little war action. It is essentially a human narrative about Yuri Orlov (Cage), a Ukrainian by birth, but grew up in the USA, he decided to become an arms dealer when it struck him that someone has to supply all the weapons our civilizations use to massacre each other. And, instead of starting in the small leaugues like gang crimes etc, he goes straight for the big dogs, the wars.
Once he becomes successful in his trade, providing massive quantities of illegal guns around the world to anyone who will pay, he finds a whole host of new problems. A straight-as-an-arrow agent pursues him relentlessly (Ethan Hawke), and Yuri struggles to maintain his picture perfect marriage with the girl of his dreams Ava Fontaine (Bridget Moynahan). Also, Yuri’s brother Vitaly (Jared Leto) is a cocaine-addicted screw up, who is a constant pain in the side to his older bro.
Completed narrated by Cage, the film is an interesting memoir into such a fascinating history of a dangerously brilliant man. His business is completely corrupt, and his morals are extremely questionable, but the principles he holds dear are far less different from those of our own, and the constant battle in his own head makes for a spectacular fight.
Some may go into this expecting a bucket load of battle scenes, but that is not what Niccol delivers. Yes, there is a lot of action, guns, sex, and money, but there is also a wonderful story to be told here.
A worthwhile watch, one which came recommended from many people…so thanks.
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