Lord Of War Essay

The so called, “Merchant of Death” was one of the biggest, immoral gun runners in the world. In the film Lord of War, Yuri Orlov was the name of this ruthless gunrunner. The business deals with warlords and domestic complications were portrayed in the film, just like they had happened in real life. The persona of Viktor Bout, the real man responsible for the gun trade, inspired the life and actions of Yuri Orlov in Lord of War. Ultimately, In the film Lord of War, director Andrew Niccol kept a lot of the same events from the real life of Viktor Bout, but changed a lot of characters and added events to create intensity and humor.

In Lord of War, director Andrew Niccol adds content to the film that directly reflects some of the real life events of Viktor Bout. For example, in both the film and Bout’s gunrunning life, there were business deals done with people ranging from Jihadi terrorists to the U.S. Government. According to Duncan Campbell, “ As …show more content…
For instance, in the film, Yuri Orlov (Really Viktor Bout) is portrayed as a very loving husband and father trying to make a little extra. However, in reality, “Here was a man reputed to be one of the most secretive criminals in the world, an elusive “merchant of death” whose bodyguard once threatened to slit the throat of a photographer who tried to take Bout’s picture. He isn’t the loving man who he is portrayed to be.” (Shuster) Furthermore, in the film Orlov (Bout) is a man who thinks the only way to conduct successful business is with trust and honesty. Truthfully, according to Colin Freeman, “He sold weapons to African warlords, double-crossed dictators and fuelled a civil war.” This proves to be quite the contrary. In conclusion, although Niccol’s film may not follow exactly how the events in Bout’s life were, the picture still gives much insight into the life of the Russian