Lord of War

In the world of high-stakes crime and international politics, few characters are as ubiquitous and influential as arms dealers. They often operate behind the scenes, feeding the world's conflicts with an endless supply of guns, bullets, and bombs. Against this backdrop, the 2005 film Lord of War sets out to tell the story of Yuri Orlov, a Russian-born arms dealer with a penchant for the high life and a willingness to push the limits of the law. The film opens in the midst of a chaotic and war-torn Yugoslavia, where Yuri (played by Nicolas Cage) first begins to establish himself as a player in the arms trade. With a charm that is equal parts menacing and seductive, Yuri quickly builds a reputation as a reliable supplier of advanced military hardware to some of the world's most unsavory dictators. From the bullets and guns that fuel the conflict in Africa to the howitzers and missile systems that rain down death and destruction on behalf of some of the Middle East's most repressive regimes, Yuri is determined to supply them all. As Yuri's business expands, so too does his ego. He begins to see himself as something of a modern-day Robin Hood, supplying arms to those who wish to fight back against oppressive regimes. However, as the film progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that Yuri's altruistic justifications for his actions are little more than a thin veil for the cold, hard cash that drives him. He has no qualms about selling arms to anyone who has the money to pay, regardless of their moral or ideological credentials. One of the people determined to bring Yuri to justice is Agent Valeriy Oleichenko's Interpol counterpart, Agentou Abelovich Ouroumov (played by Jared Leto), and a Interpol agent portrayed by Ethan Hawke, called Newton - working undercover, posing as low-level associate and, simultaneously, the CIA monitoring his operations as a means to clean the international market of its most lethal trafficking. Ouroumov is driven by a personal vendetta against Yuri, fueled by the fact that Yuri's brother, Vitaly, who joined the military, was brutally killed in action while in combat against the Yugoslav army. As the stakes rise, Yuri finds himself increasingly isolated. His relationships with those closest to him begin to fray, particularly with his friend and business partner, Simeon (played by Ian Holm). Simeon tries to caution Yuri against his increasingly reckless behavior, warning that the day will come when he will be too big to ignores, and then it'll be too late to escape. As Yuri pushes the limits of his business, he starts to face pushback from those he's wronged. His rivals try to get an edge over him by gathering evidence of his crimes, ouroumov for the Interpol, and the CIA as well, with Newton seeking leverage to gain from the take-aside. Newton, whose ultimate motivations are not immediately clear, takes on both Ouroumov and Yuri Orlov's protection rackets in the high-stakes cat-and-mouse game that unfolds between these three opposing factions of power. That is the world that plays out for Orlov as he struggles down paths from where he gets his best business opportunities, those including an illicit smuggling route to Turkey from his home country.