I think this was very much like “Thank You For Smoking” but with a lot more violence. I enjoyed it, but felt like I hated Mr Arms Trafficker by the end of it. Okay, by the middle of it. All right….after about 5 minutes of watching him. Which means, cage did a great job of convincing you to hate him. :)

I didn’t want to go see this at first because I thought it would be some fighting movie, but it was actually really good, and ended up being one of my all time favorite movies. I could not believe that it is based on a true story. Well ok, I could, but it was still kind of shocking.

Wow. Excellent movie. The previews and timing of its release made it a pass for me at the theatres. While watching, I’m thinking, “this is so polished, what else has this guy done?”; like a Bruckheimer movie but thought-provoking and unpatriotic. Makes me realize how naive I am.

A unique blend of mass appeal and intellectual onanism. The cinematography and symbolism of individual images are exemplary. My favourite shot in the movie has the protagonist arms dealer sitting on a toppled statue of Lenin with an array of tanks behind him, calculating his capitalist profits in a lucrative arms deal after the break-down of the U.S.S.R. Quirkily, there are many similarities between the lead Yuri Orlov and Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. Both have vague links to Jewish ancestry, were polyglots (Lenin was distinguished in Latin and Greek) and had more than a passing acquaintance with the law (Lenin had a job as an assistant to a lawyer).

Both believe in the statistics of gun running –
“One man with a gun can control 100 without one.” – Lenin
“… one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other 11? – Orlov

Both believe in the virtues of dualism –
“A lie told often enough becomes truth” – Lenin
“Some of the most successful relationships are based on lies and deceit. Since that’s where they usually end up anyway, it’s a logical place to start.” – Orlov

Both had strong views about democracy –
“Democracy is indispensable to socialism.” – Lenin
“Democracy? What have you been drinking Andy?” Orlov to Andre Baptiste Sr.

I never before realized that Jared Leto looks like Viggo Mortensen’s little hairy sister.