By Nicholas Proch

The arc of Nicolas Cage’s career is very confusing and overwhelming, but there are several of his efforts worth watching. From Adaptation to The Weather Man, he has plenty to offer. One of the many shining stars in his arsenal is Lord of War.

There is something to be said for the lack of coverage that illegal gun sales get. There have been many scripts written about the drug cartels and drug dealers, but what about the gun runners? They are dealing in the world’s most dangerous game, but yet they are often overlooked.

Brought to the screen by Andrew Niccol [The Truman Show], who both wrote and directed this film, the idea is mesmerizing.

Cage plays the role of  Yuri Orlov, who eventually becomes the biggest gun salesman in the world. Of course, the real story lies with how he can successfully pull off so many illegal business dealings without the government, or even his wife, knowing. The intelligence of Cage’s character is what drives this film. He dismantles helicopters, changes the names of cargo ships and lands aircrafts on dirt roads to avoid being captured. He does all of this with the utmost care and preparation.

The man on his trail is Jack Valentine, played by Ethan Hawke [Training Day]. The on screen banter between these two actors is gold. This agent knows that Orlov is guilty, but he can never seem to pin enough evidence on him to hold up his conviction.

The relationship that Orlov builds with his wife is seemingly hilarious in retrospect. How could she not know that he is doing some very illegal business? It’s easy to answer when you consider that the relationship was built upon bank account balances…she didn’t care, as long as she had the penthouse apartment.

There’s a plethora of great things to talk about in regards to the cinematography and editing in this film. With dozens of stories and a timeline that races through years in about two hours, it couldn’t have been done with a crappy effort from the post-production team.

The tone of the film is very dark and examines a very big issue. Told from someone, like Nicolas Cage, who tends to speak in an ominous and monotone way, it gives the film a real identity. Almost the entire effort is narrated by Cage. He’s almost more of a narrator than actor, but he does both well. The stories tend to be crazy and dramatic, but who better to talk you through it than the king of crazy and dramatic himself, Nicolas Cage in Lord of War.