DRAWNING inspiration from real life events during late 80s and 90s, writer-director Andrew Niccol takes aim at the contentious subject of international arms trade in his latest feature.

Mixing political satire with explosive action, Lord Of War offers an entertaining glimpse into a world where morality takes second place to cold, hard cash.

As international arms dealer Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) remarks in the film's bravura opening sequence: "There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every 12 people on the planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other 11?"

Since emigrating from the Ukraine to Brighton Beach, New York, with his parents and brother Vitaly (Jared Leto), Yuri begrudgingly spends his days toiling in his family's kosher restaurant.

After witnessing a mob hit, Yuri realises that there is a huge demand for weapons - and he is the man to fulfil it. Recruiting Vitaly as his business partner, Yuri begins selling arms without any concern for the consequences of his actions.

"I sold guns to every army but the Salvation Army," he remarks drolly. While Vitaly struggles with cocaine addiction, Yuri pursues his dream woman, model Ava Cordona (Bridget Moynahan), by posing as a wealthy international transport businessman.

The deceit works and she eventually agrees to become his wife. They raise a young son called Nicolai, and Yuri adopts the guise of the perfect family man, struggling to keep his illegal trade afloat. With the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, Yuri suddenly has access to huge stockpiles of weapons.

Forging links with Andre Baptiste Sr (Eamonn Walker), the sadistic President of Liberia, Yuri begins to make enough money to finance his extravagant lifestyle. But competition from rival arms dealer Simeon Weisz (Ian Holm) and the threat of discovery by tenacious Interpol agent Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke) keep Yuri on his toes.

Lord Of War is curious conflation of genres, which don't always complement one another. Niccol begins confidently with a breathtaking opening credits sequence, following a bullet on its journey to war-torn Africa.

Also, there is no doubting his honourable intentions, lambasting the hypocrisy of governments, which reap the rewards of global gun trade.

However, the film is overlong and misfires badly in the middle third, allowing the dramatic momentum to dissipate as Yuri gallivants around the globe. Cage and Leto are both solid, and Moynahan impresses in a vastly underdeveloped supporting role. Hawke barely registers.

Niccol shoots to kill, but after 121 minutes, he's still a little shy of the target.

See it at UCI, ABC