Lord of War

...is an amazing movie. Sometimes, actually most of the times, I get deeply touched by a movie. This movie is one of those. The movie is about illegal arms trade and this man called Yuri Orlov (played by Nicholas Cage). The movie offers so much information. At least a lot of what I didn't know earlier. What impressed me the most (or what caught my attention) in this movie is its portrayal of west Africa and its violence stricken countries and the dictatorship that's happening over there. Pretty much every one roams around with a machine gun. I also learnt a decent deal about AK-47. I always used to wonder why it is so popular and what it is all about and I finally managed to get to know. It's apparently a 9 pound gun invented by a Russian Soldier called Kalashnikov. 47 stands for model of 1947. It is such a reliable weapon that it works when filled with mud or sand and doesn't over heat or jam. It is one of Russia's biggest exports after the Cold War. There are apparently 550 million firearms in the world, good for about one person out of every twelve that inhabit this planet. AK-47 has penetrated all corners of the world.

One of the pleasant surprises in this movie is its usage of Bombay's Theme Music composed by AR Rahman! Our man is going places, definitely. His name appears in the end credits as well. Another highlight is the overall music itself, composed by this Brazilian composer called Antonio Pinto. He has truly managed to compose a moving theme "Lord of War". It starts with the guitar and slowly moves on to employ the whole orchestra with a very graceful piano. He has basically proved himself :) I wish I was the one who composed this piece.

The guy who acts as Charles Taylor (Liberian President) was quite amazing as well. I think he is called Eamonn Walker and became popular after acting in some HBO series. His English is quite funny. He has done a great job and is very sarcastic at times. He says "welcome to democracy" in a very funny way ;)

Nicholas Cage is good as usual. His movies are generally watchable. This one is a nice thriller. He becomes so hardened by his experiences that he eventually returns back to illegal arms dealing even after losing his wife, brother, his family and everything. He says he doesn't do it for the money, but only because he is good at it! It is well worth a watch. I am now listening to the theme music of the movie from my ipod. Here are some more pictures.