Convoluted Political Satire

War, Inc is the kind of movie that will be appreciated in the future, rather than in the now.  It takes a much needed look at the way our world operates, and makes light of it.  A lot of the humor is dead on the money, however, with the situation that the United States has been in for the last eight years, it’s hard to determine if now is the right time to laugh.

John Cusack plays Brand Hauser, a government-hired assassin/fixer.  Hauser is used to taking orders and making things come out clean in the end.  Essentially, the story revolves around the country Turaqistan, where war has become commercial.  The first ‘sponsored’ war is set to take place and Cusack has been assigned to make sure things go off without a hitch.  There’s a confusing story in here involving Hilary Duff as Yonica Babyyeah, but, in all honesty, I was a bit confused as to what purpose her role actually served. 

In fact, as ‘smart’ as the film was, I had to wonder what point it all really served.  There have certainly been funnier satires about the political state of the world (Idiocracy) and there have certainly been more entertaining looks at our sad, pathetic, political state (Wag the Dog, Primary Colors).  So, honestly, why do we need War, Inc?  I’m just not sure…

Cusack’s performance is quite good here, especially compared to his last venture (Martian Child), where he appeared to be phoning it in.  This is the Cusack we enjoy, and although he might not be nearly as alive as he was in High Fidelity, he certainly scores close to his Grosse Pointe Blank performance.  And really, when it comes to Cusack, that’s all we’re hoping for; a return to the good old days.

Hilary Duff is, as usual, a complete waste here.  For the entire first third of the movie, I actually thought she was one of the Olsen twins.  And that’s not a compliment.  Marisa Tomei is certainly worthless here, which is surprising as her turn last year on Rescue Me showed a lot of promise.  It’s sad to see such a talented actress simply stop trying.  Dan Aykroyd is, as always, Dan Aykroyd.  And to anyone who is a fan, that should simply be enough.  It’s nice to see him and Cusack reteam, even if it is for brief amounts of time.  They clearly understand one another’s method and style, and it’s a shame they don’t do more together.

This is director Joshua Seftel’s first major film and style-wise, he’s got it where it counts.  His sense of comedy could use some work, but his overall judge of what makes a scene work is very strong, even if his comedic timing throughout seemed short-sided.  This is the first script for Mark Leyner and while he does a good job, again it seems to slightly fail when it comes to satire.  We get that it’s satire, but we don’t get ‘it’ because it’s funny, we get it because it’s shoved in our faces. 

Overall, the film is worth a watch for anyone who enjoys people making fun of our government.  However, I strongly believe it to be a film that will be much funnier, and much more enjoyed years from now.