Joshua Seftel's satire War, Inc. might not be as non-stop laugh-out-loud funny as intended, but somehow I didn't care. I'm currently reading Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine, a mind blowing treatise about disaster capitalism; it was fascinating to see blasted on the screen a mirror vision of Klein's explanation of modern day bloodshed as catalyst for radical economic policy. A story, with appealing stars: John Cusack, Marisa Tomei, and Hillary Duff, who's terrific as teenage pop princess Yonica Babyyeah.
In
War, Inc.'s so-called future, corporations, not governments, run the world. American has become a subsidy of Tamerlane. War is a business endeavor: countless lives are lost, nation's economies are devastated, the media is controlled and manipulated (they literally take a virtually simulated war ride to generate coverage), all so that corporations can amass enormous profit.
John Cusack stars as Brand Hauser, a CIA hit man sent on a mission to kill foreign oil dignitary Omar Sharif. As a guise, Hauser also plays the role of a Tamerlane executive, running both a trade show and a celebrity wedding in the war-torn nation of Turaqistan. Troubled by his line of work, we see Cusack downing shot glasses of hot sauce in order to maintain his sanity. Cusack fans are already complaining that he has played this role before -- yes, true, he was a tormented hit man at his highschool reunion in Grosse Pointe Blanke -- but it's a character Cusack excels at.
Marisa Tomei plays the nervy female reporter who sees beneath the corporation's cheery facade. After that demeaning role in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, it's a pleasure to report that the talented Tomei is allowed to leave her clothes on. The fast, smart banter between her reporter and Cusack's corporate shill is always engaging. Ben Kingsley speaks in an unexpected Truman Capote-esque falsetto as Walken, Hauser's boss and nemesis. Joan Cusack has the unfortunate job of playing funny Joan Cusack: her constant jokes miss the mark, but no matter.
Hillary Duff as Yonica Babyyeah in "War, Inc."
First Look
The story fairly zings along in
War, Inc. as Hauser struggles to complete the mission he does not believe in, woo the reporter who despises him, and watch over the vile teenage singer (Duff) he feels an unexplainable fondness for. A quiet scene between Hauser, the reporter, and the pop star in an abandoned palace drinking wine and eating caviar is surprisingly touching.
War, Inc. works as a effective satire, but the screenplay, by novelist Mark Lerner, Jeremy Pikser and Cusack, gets to the heart of these characters, who become more than their obvious cliched designations.
Cast and Credits
Starring: John Cusack, Hilary Duff, Marisa Tomei, Joan Cusack, Sir Ben Kingsley and Dan Aykroyd.
Directed by: Joshua Seftel
Rated: R
Opens: May 23, 2008
