Lord of War

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Lord of War

R

2005

2h 2m

Drama

Action

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Popcornmeter

62%

Tomatometer

148 Reviews

84%

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250,000+ Ratings

The 20-year arms dealing career of Queens, N.Y., outcast Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) serves as a window onto the end of the Cold War and the emergence of worldwide terrorism. He finds himself reassuring his more ethically challenged younger brother, Vitaly (Jared Leto), while adeptly sidestepping the pursuit of federal agent Jack Lawrence (Ethan Hawke). The globetrotting arms dealer also pursues the woman of his dreams, supermodel Ava Fontaine (Bridget Moynahan).

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Critics Consensus

While Lord of War is an intelligent examination of the gun trade, it is too scattershot in its plotting to connect.

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Dave Calhoun

Time Out

Niccol is no stranger to hot-button issues, but he outdoes his previous efforts by injecting this satire of war profiteering in the Halliburton age with a wicked arsenic wit.

Aug 16, 2007

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Stephanie Zacharek

Salon.com

Even though Niccol sometimes puts unnecessary homilies in the mouths of his characters, he mostly pulls off the tricky feat of being direct and breezy at the same time. "Lord of War" skims along like a dance routine.

Oct 7, 2006

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Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

Impressive performances, fascinating info-bytes and pertinent editorial, but in the end, it feels too much like an illustrated lecture.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 1, 2006

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Michael Clark

Epoch Times

Yuri is Mr. Niccol’s Michael Corleone from “The Godfather” trilogy (directed by Mr. Cage’s uncle Francis Ford Coppola). Both Yuri and Michael put “family” first with their words, but make them last with their deeds.

Rated: 4.5/5

Oct 16, 2023

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Allison Rose

FlickDirect

Cage has the bravado to pull off the role of the cocky dealer going toe to toe with rival dealers and dictators, not to mention Interpol.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 6, 2023

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Alberto Abuín

Espinof

A lazy movie that is interesting just at times. [Full Review in Spanish]

Feb 12, 2020

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Daniel C

Maybe my favorite Nickolas Cage movie. From the very start watching the ammo factory produce one round of ammo and its journey down the conveyor belt to it being fired, I was hooked. Soo original from start to finish. This movie makes the viewer think. Great writing and cast. Just read that the writer and director is making another movie titled “Lords of War”. I already know it will be good. If you don’t like this movie, you are probably more dead than alive.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/10/25

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Nicholas t

lord of war is not a good movie it is a bad movie just drama / crime film

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/31/25

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Melissa L

I don't know how I missed this Nic Cage movie...I've seen many of them. He's one of my favorite actors. This was serious and sad. I recommend it, though, because, as I read in someone else's review, Nicolas Cage was perfect in this role...and no one else could have nailed it. I highly recommend it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/06/25

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Kauã M

Great, probably one of Nicolas Cage's best performances, he fits this role very well, the film is very light to watch and keeps you hooked from beginning to end, charismatic direction and an even more charismatic protagonist, who guides you on a journey that you don't expect, of course at some moments he seems to want to make social criticisms that don't seem to weigh so much, and the focus is more on the protagonist's challenges than on the war itself, but very good.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/20/25

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Audience Member

Had some interesting moments and probably has some truth to its ideas. But it wasn't as interesting as I'd hoped it would be. I thought the script needed more punch. It was a little dull. I would have liked to see more time with his family. I thought a more interesting thread would have been if he was a loyal family man. But instead, he just turns out to be a really bad guy.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/27/25

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אמיר ס

I would like to begin by stating that this film is a true masterpiece. Nicolas Cage delivers an outstanding performance that resonates well with the average viewer, surpassing the quality of many other films. The plot is dynamic and engaging, and the characters are exceptionally well-written. I watched this film long after it was first recommended to me, and I must say—the recommendation was entirely justified. This film is, without a doubt, a masterpiece; a work that brings honor to its creator.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/12/25

Full Review

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Andrew Niccol

Director

Nicolas Cage

Yuri Orlov

Jared Leto

Vitaly Orlov

Bridget Moynahan

Ava Fontaine

Ian Holm

Simeon Weisz

Ethan Hawke

Jack Valentine

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Synopsis

The 20-year arms dealing career of Queens, N.Y., outcast Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) serves as a window onto the end of the Cold War and the emergence of worldwide terrorism. He finds himself reassuring his more ethically challenged younger brother, Vitaly (Jared Leto), while adeptly sidestepping the pursuit of federal agent Jack Lawrence (Ethan Hawke). The globetrotting arms dealer also pursues the woman of his dreams, supermodel Ava Fontaine (Bridget Moynahan).

Director: Andrew Niccol
Producer: Philippe Rousselet, Andrew Niccol, Nicolas Cage, Norman Golightly
Screenwriter: Andrew Niccol
Distributor: Lions Gate Entertainment
Production Co: Saturn Films, Entertainment Manufacturing Co.
Rating: R (Language|Drug Use|Sexuality|Strong Violence)
Genre: Drama, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 16, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 19, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $24.1M
Runtime: 2h 2m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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