War, Inc.: Movie Review

John Cusack Reprises his Role as a Hitman as he goes Sci-Fi Satire

Jun 2, 2008

Through a remark on global and corporate politics, War, Inc. tries to be an entertaining sci-fi comedy but becomes confusing along the way.

John Cusack is Brand Hauser: a tired hitman who performs hits for a corporate America and holds back his own memories by choking down hot sauce like it was whiskey. It begins with him being hired by a corporate government to work undercover in the newly “democratized” Turaqistan as a director for a big convention celebrating the victory of the country’s new freedom, his real agenda is to perform a hit on the affluent Omar, who is a successful Middle Eastern businessman and thus a major competitor against his client’s interests.

Along the way, he encounters a rogue’s gallery of recurring characters, ranging from his assistant and co-agent Marsha Dillon, to an awkward love triangle between a bleeding-heart reporter (Marisa Tomei) and an engaged teen pop diva (ironically portrayed through Hillary Duff), to a trio of video agents. Even his Flightstar operator—think of it as an equivalent of OnStar—receives his attention as both his assistant and his unintentional advisor; an appropriate talent considering his operator is voiced by talk show host Montel Williams. Dan Akroyd also receives a small role as the ex vice-president of the US who discloses information to Brand Hauser on the toilet.

Grosse Point Blank 2?

It would be fair to relate this movie as a more satirical version of Grosse Point Blank. The concept of John playing through the struggle of a hitman with social life issues for the second time around would definitely bring the suggestion to many people. In actuality, though, while this is a justified claim, the movie is actally more in line with the 80's sci-fi movie Brazil for pushing eccentricities that make no sense to people who were just brought into this world and the people who seem to fit the most in it are either schemers (the VP), insane (Ooq-Mi-Fay, the pop diva’s husband-to-be), or shallow (the pop diva). For regular people like Brand or Marisa Tomei’s character, Natalie Hegalhuzen, it uses them and denies them of privilege.

The Future is Popeye's and Billboards

While it makes sense with this end of showing the awkwardness of the future, the movie also seems to try too hard in other ways. Turaqistan seems to show all the exaggerations of a war-torn third-world country immediately shoved into a modern capitalist society. Popeye’s Chicken flocks the scene, tanks are adorned with corporate sponsor stickers, and giant LCD screens are mounted to old battle-scarred structures that would look more appropriate in the 18th century Middle East. Brand Hauser and his assistant (played by Joan Cusack) often conclude talks with people with bright red bags of gifts more than anything else and catering to these people tend to involve recompense in Popeye's meals. It seems that the point of blatant capitalism is sometimes shoved into the audiences’ faces with mixed effect as a result of all the attempts the movie has to bash American policy and capitalism.

The ending is predictable, although how it comes that way is too strange for this writer to explain. In the end, you might find enjoyment in seeing John reprise his role, and there are some entertaining exchanges that go throughout the film as well as a surprisingly decent execution of acting range from Hillary Duff. In the end, there is much to find enjoyable about the movie, although it may also leave you wondering what you just watched.