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Ethan Hawke (left) as Valentine, an Interpol agent hot on Yuri's trail

The public policy implications for Lord of War are just as thought provoking. Yuri is untouchable because, frankly, the U.S. government needs him to do their dirty work when it wants weapons in the hands of those it can't sell to for political reasons. As the movie points out, the five biggest arms dealers in the world are China, France, the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom—the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Compared to them, Yuri is small potatoes.

"They say evil prevails when good men fail to act. They should say 'evil prevails,'" says Yuri when the violence he treads around so blithely finally hits home. That, in essence, is the crux of the dilemma raised by Lord of War. To those operating outside a redemptive religious framework that values ideas like forgiveness, kindness, and justice, on what basis do you argue for laying down arms? What in humanity's long history of warfare makes one think it's something we're even capable of? It's these kinds of realities and questions that make Lord of War feel very much like a modern paraphrase of Ecclesiastes. Indeed, our guns might be more efficient, but when it comes to violence and warfare, there is truly nothing new under the sun.

Talk About It

1. What lies does Yuri tells himself about his work?
   
   
2. As an Interpol agent, Jack Valentine refused to break the law in order to put Yuri out of business. Given what you know about the political situation by the end of the movie, do you agree or disagree with Valetine's decision? If you had Yuri out in the middle of Africa, would you let him go?
   
   
3. Vitaly tells his brother, "Maybe doing nothing is better than doing this"—and then he proceeds to do nothing. Why do you think Vitaly agreed to go with Yuri on another trip, and then to "ruin" the deal? What do you think was the fundamental difference in the way the two brothers perceived the world?
   
   
4. "They say evil prevails when good men fail to act. They should say 'evil prevails,'" says Yuri. Do you agree with this statement? If so, to what extent? As a Christian, what gives you hope? See Romans 15:7-13, Hebrews 6:13ff, and Galatians 5:1-5

The Family Corner

while the violence is relatively muted, Lord of War is visually disturbing on a number of levels and it does glancingly include executions by gun and machete. This is not a movie for children or young teens. There is also some nudity, including a shower scene between a husband and wife shot from a distance, the backsides of a number of prostitutes, and exposed breasts. Drug use takes place, though it's never put in a positive light. And there is cursing.

Photos © Copyright Lions Gate Films

© Lisa Ann Cockrel 2005, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

Speaking of versatile leading men, Nicolas Cage is back on the big screen this week as well. He's been a drunkard (Leaving Las Vegas), an Italian soldier (Captain Correlli's Mandolin), a crazed and childless bank robber (Raising Arizona), a man without a face (Face/Off), a treasure hunter (National Treasure), and even Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation).

In Lord of War, directed by Andrew Niccol (who wrote The Truman Show and Gattaca), Cage is a Ukrainian immigrant named Yuri who works with his younger brother (Panic Room's Jared Leto) in the gun trade, evading a cop (Ethan Hawke), and learning the consequences of his business the hard way.

"The movie starts off with a bang—literally—but misses the target," writes David DiCerto (Catholic News Service). "The satiric film's serious social commentary and anti-violence themes are saddled at times with message-heavy melodrama (intent to humanize Yuri) and standard action clichés that bog down the otherwise sharp narrative."

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