Here's an odd thing: A script that's smart and funny, but also about something at the same time. Or perhaps odder- an 'issues' film that's not too busy beating you over the head with the issue to be both clever and amusing.
Structurally, Lord of War reminded me a lot of Goodfellas- the narrator, Yuri Orlov, gives a voice-over as he takes us through his history as a gunrunner from his youth to the present day. The actual particulars of his life events aren't really the focus of the film- it's more about building up a sense of the world that Yuri lives in, and the sort of man that he is. Much like Vincent in Collateral, Yuri is a man who is 'not quite there', missing something, that allows him to look away when the guns he sells bring about slaughter, something that makes him able to live with the world of deceit he builds up around his family.
The film is very bleak (as one woman warbled as we sprawled out of the cinema: "It wasn't very uplifting, was it?"), but balances this with dollops of black humour and the occasional entertaining set-piece (following the life of a bullet from creation to execution, the disintegration of a transport plane over a 24-hour period).
The whole movie hinges on Nick Cage, and his ability to make Yuri likeable in spite of all the awful things he does. If you liked him in Face/Off or Adaptation, then you'll enjoy this. If you generally just can't stand him, you may find the film difficult to 'get into', as it's always tough to engage with a disgusting protagonist.
What I found extremely interesting about the story as a whole is that by the time it nears its conclusion, Yuri's situation is so low that even if he wanted to be a good person, that option is no longer available to him. There's a scene where his brother begs him not to sell arms to a warlord who will immediately turn them on civilians. Yuri rightfully points out that if they refuse to sell the guns, they'll simply be killed and the warlord will get the guns anyway. The best thing he can do is an evil thing. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, as Yoda observed.
It's not a perfect movie, but it's perfect for what it is- I recommend it most highly.
This is a 