"Lord of War": the real story of a Soviet emigrant. Greedy Guy Yuri Arms Dealer

Crime Drama " Weapon Baron” appeared at the box office on September 16, 2005. The film is based on real events that took place during the Cold War.

Lord of War Facts

The filmmakers claim that real arms dealers were involved in the work on the film. They were asked to talk about the difficulties and subtleties of the profession. The purpose of such actions was to make the film more believable, and the actors of the film "Lord of War" felt the atmosphere.

Due to the events covered in the film, which allegedly defame the United States of America, not a single American film company wanted to sponsor the project. But the idea was approved by many European competitors.

For filming equipment, real weapons were used. What for? Because it turned out to be several times cheaper than copies.

"Lord of War": the plot

The film is narrated in the first person. A major arms dealer tells his life story to the audience. His name is Yuri Orlov. He and his family immigrated from Ukraine to the United States. They opened a small restaurant on Brighton Beach and lived a quiet peaceful life. Yuri had little interest in such a life, and he quickly came to the conclusion that the most profitable business was the arms trade. The reason for this choice of profession was explained simply: Yuri believed that weapons are the most sought-after goods that will always be needed in a world of wars and devastation.

Yuri Orlov brings his younger brother Vitaly to the case. And together they start their business from the bottom. The older brother liked the philosophy of weapons, but the younger one gradually understood the horror of their actions and, over time, began to drown out the feeling of guilt with drugs. Vitaly goes to the hospital, and Yuri is left without a partner, but this did not stop him.

A few years later, Yuri Orlov is already at the top of the death trade food chain. He found a way out of any situation and approach even to the most demanding client. Yuri has always been where war or armed conflict was brewing.

But there is no success without loss. Because of his talent, a man loses his wife and son, his younger brother dies, and his parents abandon him. Thus ends the film "Lord of War". The actors and the roles they played immerse us in a cruel world of violence.

"Lord of War": actors and roles of the first plan

The main role in the film was played by the inimitable filmography of this actor, director and producer, there are dozens of films and projects in which he participated. His character clearly knows what he wants from life, and, despite many difficulties, he loves his job. The game of Nicolas Cage is such that the viewer has no doubts about the plausibility of the events taking place in the film "Lord of War". Reviews of critics regarding the idea of ​​the film are still ambiguous.

The younger brother of Yuri Orlov - Vitaly Orlov - was played by Jared Leto. This actor and rock musician was perfect for the role of a faithful drug addict brother. The depth of the character is hard not to replace. From the first frames, the viewer sees devotion to his older brother, Vitaly is ready to follow him into the hell, but at the same time he sees what their illegal activities lead to, and is very tormented by this. Most likely, it is the feeling of guilt that explains the craving young man to drugs. In the end, conscience takes its toll, and Vitaly dies under the bullets of his own weapon.

"Lord of War": actors and supporting roles

Ethan Hawke played the role of Jack Valentine in the thriller. This is an Interpol agent who constantly breathes into Yuri Orlov's neck. But he doesn't have enough evidence to detain the arms dealer for more than a day. The character's goals are commendable, he sincerely believes in the power of the law. At the end of the film, when Jack Valentine catches Yuri while transporting his brother's corpse, the agent understands the cruel joke of the world. Orlov is released. What happened to Jack next is unknown.

Ethan Hawke shows himself not only as a talented actor, but also as a writer, screenwriter and film director. Behind the artist are dozens of films, two novels, several scripts and directing.

The role of a loving wife - Eva Fonstein - was taken on by a famous model and actress. Her role as a faithful wife, an ideal woman was easy. Since Bridget is also a mother and a beautiful wife in real life. Eva has a simple character and immediately declares to her husband that she does not intend to listen to lies and will not ask anything about Yuri's affairs until they touch their family. The husband was perfectly able to hide his real activities, but everything secret someday becomes clear. Dissatisfied with the truth and with the understanding that her husband will never change, Eva disappears with her son in an unknown direction.

African tyrant André Baptiste Sr. is played by Eamonn Walker. The actor is best known for his role as chief in the TV series "Chicago Fire". André Baptiste is a typical revolutionary who is sure that a country cannot be obtained without bloodshed. In fact, the president turns out to be a simple bandit with mania for power.

Painting "Guys with Trunks" was released on Russian screens on August 18, 2016. The film, which can hardly be called the loudest and brightest picture of this year, turned out to be a surprisingly meaningful and enjoyable work, and even very instructive. Instructive for some comrades who are not our comrades at all.

“In the very first lines of our letter,” we hasten to thank our venerable localizers, who once again rudely misrepresented the title of the film. However, this is their work, and, presumably, they know better that the domestic audience is more willing to “huff”. In the original, the name of the picture does not sound like "Guys with Trunks", but War Dogs, which in literal translation means "Dogs of War", in the literary sound it is rather "War-mongers". And there were not so many trunks in this film about arms dealers.

What was in this movie then? To answer this question, we traditionally turn to the personality of the director. This time it Todd Phillips who gave us the Bachelor Party trilogy. By the way, she had a completely different name in the original - Hangover, that is, "Hangover". As we can see, Mr. Phillips loves to make hilariously funny comedies, and the key to their success is crazy humor, as well as heroes without brakes. The film "Guys with Trunks" can also be classified as a comedy, since there were a lot of funny things in it. On the other hand, the topic of the arms trade, even if it is completely legal, is no longer as funny as a drunk four friends. Yes, and the status "Based on real events" obliges, as it were. In order to still make ends meet and make the real story more interesting, the author seasoned it with a bunch of ridiculous situations, rude jokes, slippery political nuances and soft drugs.

We note right away that we will not touch on politics and drugs, even if they are “light”, because in reality this picture is not about them and not even about the arms trade business, but about all-consuming human stupidity. So infinite that even Einstein himself once stated that it is perhaps even more infinite than the universe itself. This is a picture about responsibility and irresponsibility, as well as about relationships between people and attitude towards people.

He played the main role in the film "Guys with Trunks" Miles Teller, a talented actor, in whose filmography one can hardly find at least one bad job (including the notorious Fantastic Four). Either the guy's lucky as hell, or he's too gifted, or he's got a good agent. But rather all this at once, and it is possible without bread. At the beginning of the film, he is a complete loser, or, as it is commonly called politically correct in the US, lost his way. His hero is forced to earn a living as a massage therapist, excuse me, a certified massage therapist for wealthy clients. For $75 an hour. He also saved up some money to start his own business and spent it all on 60 boxes of high-quality bedding from Egypt. Which, of course, turned out to be of no use to anyone.

This alone is enough to start writing a characterization of him. Yes, the guy does not have enough stars from the sky, but he is determined to get out of his comfort zone with this nasty job and a low, albeit stable salary. He strives to create his own business, not just legal, but also absolutely honest. You understand that it is not always the same. But at one point, David, that's the name of our hero, finds himself in the arms trade business. Much more profitable, although much more dangerous. Diligence, honesty and accuracy help him to succeed in this field. That's just a partner brings a few.

In the role of David Miles, as is usually the case, is quite believable. At some moments he is pathetic, at others - very pathetic, at others - even touching. And sometimes decisive, but still pathetic. However, this pity does not spoil him at all, because traditionally good Jewish boys are seen as such by social stereotypes.

But Jonah Hill played in the film "Guys with Trunks" the role, on the contrary, of a bad Jewish boy named Ephraim Diveroli. A somewhat unexpected decision in the selection of actors, because Teller usually gets the roles of impudent guys, and Hill traditionally looks organically in the image of a kind of modest donut. But here everything is the other way around, and not the last violin in this duet was played, of course, by the famous Hill's charisma. David absolutely rightly remarks: “When life hits me, I endure. But Ephraim - no, he fights back. And there is. Ephraim starts working in his uncle's austere Jewish business. They buy confiscated weapons at police auctions, and then sell them through an online store to all sorts of psychos. The business is harsh, but in American realities it is absolutely legal.

Then Ephraim shamelessly “throws” his uncle for 70 thousand dollars, returns to his native state and establishes his own company. He is a brazen guy, and we understand this when four classic pumped-up African Americans themselves "throw" him for 300 bucks, and he opens the trunk of the car with a smile, takes out a machine gun and fires a burst into the air. Even beefy African-Americans prefer not to mess with such people, and they traditionally ... right, make their legs. Things are getting better and better at the new firm, until Ephraim turns everything down the drain because of his irrepressible greed. Looking from the outside, it is very difficult to understand his motivation until you remember that in life such irrational idiocy is also found almost at every turn.

The third star of the film "Boys with Guns" was Bradley Cooper, traditionally imposing and too concrete. And yes, his hero, apparently, is not a Jew, but a Frenchman named Henri Gerard. Henri has been in the arms business for more than a year, but he may not always be fully legally engaged in it, because he is too devoted to his work. Yes, this is one of the features of the arms trade business - you cannot sell it to both sides of the conflict if there is a war. But Gerard does not stop this, and as a result, his name is on the black list, on the list of terrorists. Therefore, meeting with these two guys turns out to be a real success for him, because the Pentagon can no longer deal with him directly. Although, perhaps, he really wants to. And things seem to be going well, however, how many times we will repeat ourselves, everything is spoiled by the unnatural greed of Ephraim.

So what, exactly, is the movie "Guys with Guns" about? The story is not too confusing. Two childhood friends meet after many years of separation and start trading weapons together. Everything is absolutely legal, except for some minor nuances. They earn good money, enough for spacious apartments, and for a Porsche. However, compared to other players in this market, they are not even small fish, but rather tadpoles or even plankton. They could not have been in this business at all if the US had not adopted an analogue of our FZ-44 on public procurement. As a result, theoretically, any contract can go to any American firm. In practice, they get a mere trifle, and because of this trifle, sometimes they have to travel to Jordan in order to make their way to Iraq from there, having given the local border guards a bribe of two packs of cigarettes, to cross some terrible “triangle of death”, but in the end to safely deliver the cargo .

One fine day, luck smiles at the guys, the Pentagon announces a large purchase of cartridges for Kalashnikov assault rifles. The guys find a supplier and win a $300 million tender. Some problems arise, but their simple and relatively fast decision. And everything could have worked out if one of our heroes - Ephraim - had not been seized by unbridled greed. As a result, the deal went bankrupt due to a ridiculous amount of 100 thousand dollars on the scale of the contract. Yes, and this amount could well "fight back", the guys would not have lost absolutely nothing. As a result, 6 years in prison for one and 7 months for house arrest for another.

So let's now formulate Highest Scientific Morality paintings "Guys with guns". We found at least two of them. First, you must always be honest, and especially with your partners, if you play cat and mouse with the law and the government. And two: even if you are a good guy, in some situations you need to ask yourself, what would a bad guy do in my place? You may not even act like a bad guy, but it is imperative to clearly outline his possible course of action.

And finally, we give our ratings to the film "Guys with Guns" on a ten-point scale.

• Acting: 9 points
• Scenario: 8.5 points
• Directing: 9 points
• Cautionary story: 10 points.

Again, we have to sin against the laws of arithmetic, putting the "Guys with Trunks" final 8.2 points. And all because, for all its merits, this picture does not belong to those that go down in history and are regularly reviewed by grateful admirers. Looked, discussed, forgotten.

) immigrated to the United States as a child. He watched his parents running a small restaurant and knew he was drawn to something bigger. He was always risk-averse and once discovered exciting opportunities in the arms trade.

First, he began to supply them with local criminal groups, and then - to send goods to hot spots. Everything changed when Interpol went on the hunt for Yuri. The hero lost his wife, lost his brother, went to jail, but when he was released, he continued to engage in dangerous business.

You open a restaurant because people are hungry all the time and you can feed them. That day, I realized that my destiny lies on a different plane of basic human needs.

Selling your first gun is a lot like having sex for the first time.
You have absolutely no idea what you're doing, but it's exciting.

The first rule of an arms dealer is not to get
a bullet from their own product.

The second rule of a merchant is to always provide a reliable payment method. Better go ahead. Perfect -
to an offshore bank account. You can say anything
about dictators and tyrants, but they always pay on time.

What about cigarette vendors? Their products are killing more people.
At least mine has fuses.

The arms trade requires quickness: one must be able to spin. Revolution usually happens before
how the weapon falls into place. The biggest loss to our business comes from the world.

You can defeat many enemies and survive, but who fights
by nature, doomed to failure.

I sell right and left. I would like to sell to pacifists, but they are rare buyers.

There are two types of tragedy in life. The first is not getting what you want. The second is to get it.

It is said that when good does not act, evil wins. The truth is twice as short: evil wins.

Do you know who will inherit the Earth? Weapons dealers.
Because the others are too busy killing each other. Here it is, the secret of survival: never fight. Especially with yourself.

The best combination for an arms dealer is
disgruntled soldiers and warehouses full of weapons.

You got so rich trading weapons for the CIA,
that it is difficult for you to get the old ideology out of your head.

President Batista was my best client.
But I was in no hurry to meet him: he was known
the fact that he liked to cut off the limbs of those who are with him
did not agree.

Of all the huge Soviet weapons arsenal, there was no more profitable model than the Kalashnikov assault rifle, aka AK-47. This is the most popular machine in the world. It is elegantly simple, assembled from stamped steel and plywood, and weighs only 9 pounds. It does not break, does not jam, shoots in mud and sand. The Soviets stamped it on coins, Mozambique put it on their flag. During the war, the Kalashnikov assault rifle became the main export item for the Russians. And then there are vodka, caviar and suicide writers.

$24,149,632 (US)
$208,279 (In Russia)
$72,617,068 (worldwide)

Germany Germany
USA USA
France France

Cast

Weapons in the movie

Weapon

• Rifle M16A1/A2
• CAR-15 SMG
• Colt Model 723
• Norinco Model 311
• Norinco Type 56-1
• SA Vz.58
• Vector R5
• M60 (known to Andre Batisto Jr. as "Rambo Gun")
• AKM/AKMS
• Henry US Survival
• Karabiner 98k
• Gold-plated AKS74U based on the hunting carbine "Saiga"
• Star Model B
• L1A1 SLR
• Smith & Wesson 3000
• FN MAG-58
• RGD-5

Military equipment and transport

• container ship Yuri Orlov
• Fast Attack Craft Interpol
• Helicopter Mi-24A
• Aero L-39 training aircraft
• Yury's Limousine Cadillac Fleetwood
• Citroën DS André Baptiste Senior
• 1964 Pontiac Bonneville André Baptiste Jr.
• Hawker Hunter Fighter

Write a review on the article "Lord of War"

Notes

Links

An excerpt characterizing the Lord of War