Lord of War (2 Disc Special Edition)

The first and most important rule of gun-running is never get shot with your own merchandise, according to Andrew Niccol's politically savvy statement as we witness Yuri Orlov's Scarface-esque rise to power from the end of the Cold War right up until the present day. Niccol had previously established himself as one of the '90s most compelling conceptualists after the success of Gattaca and The Truman Show – he successfully combined subtle political commentaries and sociological ideas with moments of ingenuity that resulted in hugely enjoyable films that managed to simultaneously educate and entertain audiences. After his relative misfire in 2002 with Simone, Niccol is back in the driving seat with Lord of War, a slightly confused yet entertaining film that manages to showcase one of Nicolas Cage's finest performances in the titular role.

Supposedly based on actual events, the story follows Yuri from his humble beginnings as a Ukrainian immigrant in 1970s New York and peaks with his multi-million dollar dealings as he sells off the stockpiled arsenal of post-Cold War Ukraine to nearly every war zone across the globe. Along the way he must deal with his brother Vitaly's (Jared Leto) spiralling cocaine addiction, potentially-crippling interest from an eager Interpol agent (Ethan Hawke) and the sadistic attention he garners from African dictator Andre Baptiste Sr. (Eamonn Walker). Although it would be easy for Niccol to descend into scented melodrama and allow Lord of War to become some epic morality play about the dangers of guns and drugs, he instead chooses to allow the audience to be drawn by Yuri's undeniable charisma until we are firmly in the same boat as him, dragged along a murky river of deception and danger. This clever technique is achieved through a tongue-in-cheek narration from Cage that simultaneously develops the protagonist whilst allowing him to offer some valuable insight into the events that are unfolding; whilst I remain to be totally convinced that narration is a valuable film tool, since it is usually mercilessly overused, Niccol's script has the sense to allow a sardonic streak of humour to creep into Cage's words.

However, this narration does lead to the film's largest flaw: the film is so tightly-scripted and engineered that it becomes highly episodic and formulaic in many ways. The narration lends a sense that there will indeed be a beginning, a middle and an end to this drama and there is no real suspense to the piece since we know that Yuri will survive whatever disaster is unfurling on screen at any given time. Furthermore, the script follows such a large progression of time – over twenty years – that the film becomes fragmented and lacks a sense of cohesion. And, since we see the film exclusively through Yuri's eyes (I can't think of a single scene in which he is off-screen), the rest of the characters feel decidedly undeveloped and become mere ciphers for Yuri to play off and further the narrative through. Granted, Vitaly is certainly humanised and also acts as an amusing source of comic relief but that is sadly where the development ends; the greatest irony, however, is the way in which life imitates art. At the beginning of the film we are introduced to Ava, Yuri's love interest, as she is paraded around Brooklyn like some kind of beautiful trophy that belongs on a cultured mantelpiece. After she is snared by Yuri's allure (well, Nicolas Cage's superb sense of character and the natural rhythm and charm that he exudes) she is relegated to the backburner both in terms of the narrative and indeed Niccol's handling of her character – and she becomes nothing more than a trophy wife. Bridget Moynahan does nothing technically wrong in the role – she stands around looking beautiful and handles her scenes with skill – but then again she is clearly restricted by the material.

There is no denying that Lord of War is a very slick product that was amazingly made outside of the Hollywood system. I say amazingly because it has all the hallmarks of a typically glossy production – sleek visuals, large explosions, action sequences and a sense that the envelope is never being fully exploited. Whilst Niccol's previous scripts have happily gone against the grain and offered a sense of ambiguity and intrigue, his work in Lord of War is much more pedestrian: sure, it is cynical and clever, but never enigmatic or outstanding. His greatest success is allowing the audience to observe Yuri without preaching to the congregation, yet his biggest failing is not offering a satisfactory conclusion or narrative arc for us to engage with. Events seem to happen and then the protagonists (or should that be antagonists?) are able to swiftly move on with little to no regard for consequences or repercussions. Reality has clearly checked out of the building.

But, I am overlooking some of the film's greatest successes. Nicolas Cage is fantastic as Yuri and he has finally reminded me as to why he was once a shining star in the up and coming Hollywood scene; I just hope he continues to work at this level in the future. His sense of humour, his physicality and the way in which he spins his dialogue are all excellent. Similarly, Jared Leto succeeds in personifying a young, egotistical coke addict with aplomb and well-timed humour. In terms of satirical humour, Niccol really hits the nail on the head at the start of the film – Lord of War begins with the camera following the lifespan of a bullet, from its creation in a factory to its final resting place in the skull of a young African boy. Politics aside, it's a remarkable sequence that simultaneously highlights his central message and emphasises this sense of black humour that is characteristic of his work.

It is a shame that Lord of War never manages to be more than the sum of its parts. If the characters and the various situations they find themselves in had been given more of a chance to breathe and develop with a greater sense of naturalism then I'm sure this film would have been a much more compelling experience and something that resonated long past the end credits. As it stands it does indeed offer food for thought but it amounts to nothing more than your usual "Hollywood thriller with a message".

The Disc
Released through Lions Gate in conjunction with Maple, this Canadian edition of Lord of War is presented in a digipack that houses the two discs. Three different DVDs are available in North America – Widescreen and Fullscreen single-disc editions or this 2 Disc Special Edition which includes the widescreen version of the film.

The DVD menus are animated and very easy to navigate, offering a choice of English or Spanish subtitles during the main feature which are presented in a clear and very readable font.

Audio-Visual Presentation
And this is where the problems begin: whilst Lord of War was exhibited theatrically in 2.35:1, Maple have cropped the film to 1.78:1 for its DVD release. However, this practice is not so rare these days since some directors do indeed prefer to "open up" their films for home viewing (Robert Rodriguez is a famed advocate of this process in which no image is lost as long as the process is done correctly). I was unable to confirm Andrew Niccol's intentions so I cannot tell if he indeed prefers the 1.78:1 ratio for Lord of War – unfortunately his audio commentary yielded no answers. I did manage to compare the image to the R2 check disc and it appears that only a minimal amount of picture has been lost, suggesting that the transfer has indeed been supervised correctly. In terms of actual video quality, however, the transfer does fall short by quite some distance; the anamorphic widescreen image is plagued by aliasing which crops up continuously throughout the film's duration and, to make matters worse, the print lacks detail and appears overly grainy at times. On the plus side, the colours are reproduced vividly – something which is important for a film that showcases a lot of arid, desert locations.

The audio, on the other hand, is fantastic – both DTS 6.1 ES and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks are provided, which showcase the film's bombastic effects very successfully indeed. Naturally, the DTS track has the edge but both present the dialogue crisply and clearly throughout, whilst the surrounds get a good workout during the action scenes.

Extras
Spread across two discs, the first disc contains an insightful audio commentary from writer/director Andrew Niccol. A man with a quiet, dry and unassuming voice, he nonetheless manages to offer a mixture of anecdotes and substantial technical facts to pass the film's duration with ease. He's not the best commentator but fans of the film will still get a lot of information out of this track.

An enjoyable making-of documentary is the main meat on the second disc – clocking in at around 20 minutes – and it offers some valuable insight into the hectic production process. Similarly, the featurette "Making a Killing" is an interesting documentary that explores gun-running in the real world and features interviews with members of Amnesty International, amongst others, as they all collectively denounce and criticise such "foolish and dangerous" practices. However, it's up to you, dear viewer, to decide what side of the fence you sit on...

A quirky feature, "Weapons of the Trade", is an interactive gallery that allows you to look at information about all of the firearms featured in Lord of War; the history and technical specifications of each gun is also provided. A standard photo gallery of stills from the production rounds off the extra features.

Overall
As two hours of entertainment, Lord of War is well worth checking out and even manages to include a politically-savvy agenda. However, if you're looking for a better film that covers similar themes and issues then I recommend the much more compelling Bowling for Columbine (or indeed Fahrenheit 9/11) as an excellent alternative. This Canadian DVD on which Lord of War is released is adequate, although the image quality is mediocre and not necessarily presented in the director's original aspect ratio.