Speak Less, Say More: A Stunning Storytelling Illustrated By A Single Shot From Lord Of War (2005)

Lord Nicolas Cage: only one of his name, commander of over the tops, master of the freak outs, breaker of legacies and destroyer of hard earned reputation. Despite critical accolades and smash success in early career, cinema lovers would agree that Nicolas Cage hasn't had the best of times in last two decades. His movie choices (for financial reasons) would easily earn him 'Mithun Chakraborty of Hollywood' title (if you know what I mean).

However, every once in a while, Cage shows that all he needs is one favorable script and a believing director. A largely under the radar flick- Lord Of War (2005)(https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0399295/) is one such underappreciated gem acted in by the acting powerhouse. While I'd recommend this Amnesty International supported political commentary about illegal arms-trade for a thought provoking subject itself, I'd draw however your attention to this one particular scene today. I call this 70 second long shot- 'the airplane time-lapse scene' and recommend you to watch it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQgdZTgpczM

(continue to read further below after watching it, or now if you wish so)

This Is Life At Its Simplest

Yuri, a fugitive arms dealer (played by Cage) is tied and made to sit on a stool in an African field. His large cargo plane is broken down and stolen away by the natives piece by piece. In an (unbelievably real life) fast forwarded time lapse, Cage sits tied up on a stool, watching and contemplating- "Well this is Life. Life in Africa. Everything that comes from the Earth, eventually returns, even a 40-ton Antonov 12 cargo plane."

Let me share why I rate this scene very high as a storyteller. There are movies which fail to communicate to the audience with intended message or worse, often leave them dazed. This stunning sequence draws captivating parallels to fragility of life, cruelty of time, the innate animal spirit of humans, and how Death is the most certain truth in life. To say so much in such less time and with such efficiency, it's nothing short of plain cinematic genius.

And the only thing that could compliment the mood here without cluttering it- is the 1 minute background score from an Indian movie Bombay (1995) by the maestro A. R. Rahman (reason enough to watch it again?) **********

See you tomorrow with a weekly Storytelling Tip :) Enjoy your weekend!!