Lord of War

Lord of War is a 2005 crime drama film written and directed by Andrew Niccol, starring Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, and Ethan Hawke. Taking place in the early 1980s, Lord of War follows Yuri Orlov as he enters the illegal arms trade, eventually becoming the most notorious arms dealer on the planet. The film was released in the United States by Lions Gate Films on September 16, 2005, and was released internationally by Arclight Films. The film grossed million at the box office. American studios were unwilling to financially back the film due to the script being pitched shortly before the Iraq War. Because of this, funding was compiled from various sources, with French producer Philippe Rousselet funding the remainder. An opportunity to reduce costs was discovered while filming in the Czech Republic, where it was discovered that purchasing real Kalashnikov rifles was cheaper than making prop equivalents, and so 3,000 were purchased and later sold back. Review aggregators Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of over 60%, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Independent reception was marginally negative. Many publications felt that the story, when not focused on Yuri's arms dealing, was weak. Shortly after the film's release, human rights group Amnesty International endorsed it for highlighting the danger of an uncontrolled global arms trade. A sequel for Lord of War was announced on May 8, 2023, with filming scheduled for the fall of the same year.