War, Inc. Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
When it comes to war...America means business
An Incendiary Political Cartoon
A political satire set in Turaqistan, a country occupied by an American private corporation run by a former US Vice-President (Aykroyd). In an effort to monopolize the opportunities the war-torn nation offers, the corporation's CEO hires a troubled hit man (Cusack), to kill a Middle East oil minister. Now, struggling with his own growing demons, the assassin must pose as the corporation's Trade Show Producer in order to pull off this latest hit, while maintaining his cover by organizing the high-profile wedding of Yonica Babyyeah (Duff) an outrageous Middle Eastern pop star, and keeping a sexy left wing reporter (Tomei) in check.
| John Cusack | Brand Hauser |
| Joan Cusack | Marsha Dillon |
| Marisa Tomei | Natalie Hegalhuzen |
| Hilary Duff | Yonica Babyyeah |
| Ben Kingsley | Walken |
| Dan Aykroyd | The Vice President |
| Ned Bellamy | Zubleh/Ooq-Yu-Fay Taqnufmini |
| Velizar Binev | German Businessman |
| Marc Casabani | Various |
| Ben Cross | Medusa Hair |
| Doug Dearth | Geoff |
| Itai Diakov | Boy |
| Georgi Gatzov | Soundman |
| Nick Harvey | Preacher |
| Lyubomir Neikov | Omar |
| Joshua Seftel |
5.80 out of 10 (11670 votes)
Visitor Reviews
I Declare War!
posted on 19 Aug 2009First things first: I'm not a conservative. And even though I would never refer to myself as a liberal or a Democrat, I was opposed to the war in Iraq from day one. I think it's safe to say John Cusack and I would probably see eye-to-eye on politics, in fact, I'm sure we'd become drinking buddies if we ever got to talking about how great Adam Curtis' BBC docs are. My point is this: don't discredit this review by thinking I'm not a part of the choir Cusack is preaching to in War, Inc. There's no question WI's politics are tailored to appeal to my demographic, but the problem is, the tailoring is substandard and the the film Cusack co- wrote, produced and stars in, fits worse than a cheap suit.As they say "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Cusack, his co-writers, director Joshua Seftel and even the actors involved, no doubt had every intention of making an anti- war film every bit as biting and funny as Robert Altman's M*A*S*H, unfortunately for the viewer, they ended up with one as unfunny and unintelligent as Michael Moore's Canadian Bacon.The current state of US politics, foreign policy and the war "effort" is already absurd and, as a result, tragic, pathetic and, regrettably comical -- just watch The Daily Show and see for yourself. The bottom line is: you can't write material as funny as what the Bush administration provides us on a daily basis, so why try to compete?The main problem with WI is that it feels it was put together in a hurry. To get it done, Cusack basically cannibalized Grosse Pointe Blank (one of his best films), changed the setting and crammed in a shopping list of ideas lifted from the collected works of Naomi Klein. Most of these ideas are rammed down your throat in the first twenty minutes of the film and what makes them so obnoxious is none of the jokes or gags or deliberately obvious references to Halliburton, the Neo-Cons and the US occupation of Iraq, are imaginative, clever or funny. The writers are so blinded by their own dogma they felt that by simply referencing these issues the film would be funny and subversive. The trouble is...it isn't. By now these ideas are yesterday's news and unless you've been living under or rock or are so blinded by ignorance, denial and sheer stupidity (read: a right-wing Christian), these jokes insultingly simple.Perhaps WI would work if it was more nuanced, subversive, offensive and fattened up with detailed research/insights into the Occupation. As it is, the jokes and sight gags are all surface and are so bad, with so little finesse, subtlety or satirical wickedness, they did little more than make me groan. Homer Simpson once said "It's funny 'cause it's true" and The Daily Show proves this every night; War, Inc. however proves that just because it's true doesn't make it funny. The bottom line: hyperbole isn't required when it comes to lampooning US/Neo-Conservative politics...it's already a big enough joke.http://eattheblinds.blogspot.com/
A 'Hilary'ous satire...Intelligently Crafted...
posted on 13 Aug 2009The plot of this film might not be extraordinary, but what makes the film really special, are its characters (and the actors who play them – of course!). I won't go into the details of the plot of the movie, but I would certainly like to say this – This film is not just for everyone! The film is really witty and you need to be equally clever to get all the satire. If you're not alert even for a second, you'll probably end up missing one of the subtle points. The movie is full of such seemingly trivial but witty stuff - like the announcements going on in the background at Turaqistan, the advertisements on the tankers (which I almost missed) and it are these that make the movie hilarious throughout.Coming to the actors, John Cusack has played his multi-faceted role very efficiently (what with him being the co-writer and the producer too) and he plays his character – Hauser, the killer with a heart – exquisitely. Cusack's done a similar kind of role before in Grosse Pointe Blank, but his comic disposition in the movie is simply superb.However the actress who steals all the show is Hilary Duff! I have always been a huge fan of Ms. Duff. But to be honest I was a bit disappointed when I heard about the kind of role she's playing in the movie. But after watching the movie the disappointment gave way to great respect for her as an actor. Let's face it! The kid's growing, but yes, so is her talent! All those critics, who shouted hoarse that Hilary cannot act, will be silent for a while. Hilary had to play a really complex character – tough on the outside, yet a sweet child on the inside – and she's done complete justice to it. She makes you laugh, and she makes you cry – to cut the long story short ('cause I could go on raving about her for ever) she's BRILLIANT! Marisa Tomei and Joan Cusack have done a good job too. Especially, Joan's hysterics are uproarious! However, I was rather disappointed with Ben Kingsley being wasted in such a small role and his performance seemed lackluster.In general War, Inc. keeps you on your toes throughout with its intelligent humor, and ends with just the right amount of twists in the plot. I would highly recommend this movie to all (and more so to Hilary Duff fans)!!! P.S. - I am really glad to hear the movie is going to break free of its limited release and release at other places soon!!!
Great film.
posted on 05 Aug 2009Some might say its overcomplicated but, as said, it doesn't interfere.Must say that I can't say that the satire was over the top, contemporary interpretation on the war on freedom...That said, this is typically "hollywood storylinish" but with a little more depth and thought.Sometimes its raw and hard, but with a light undertone, which is lovely to see in a war-film. It makes your head wonder why the makers moved on so fast after shooting extras. Life must go on, right?A "must see" film. Good films are hard to come by and this one really will entertain you and make some of us think a little harder.
Very, Very Good, and Very, Very Funny
posted on 28 Jul 2009On this 4th of July weekend it's heartening to see the spirit of the Declaration of Independence alive and well in the film "War, Inc." Just as our founding fathers gave the back of their collective hand to King George III, this film exposes in hilarious fashion the craven war-profiteering by the current crop of capitalistic creeps who are intent on indecently privatizing the government, to include privatizing war itself.The cast in this satire absolutely shines. John Cusack is wonderful as a droll, conflicted corporate assassin, and the beautiful Marisa Tomei is superb as his love interest. (My gosh, "George Costanza" was right. Marisa Tomei is so attractive!) But it is John's sister Joan Cusack who really steals the film. Her portrayal of a bossy, yet simultaneously sycophantic, personal assistant is priceless, and more than once I just couldn't stop laughing at the brilliance of her performance. She not only possesses fantastic comic timing, her face is as expressive as one could ever wish for in an actor. Dan Ackroyd, too, has a short, but very effective, cameo in the film as the head of the company which is running the war, the Tamerlane Corporation. Sitting on a "throne" with his pants down around his ankles, Ackroyd even looks like the arse clown who currently occupies one of our real thrones of power. You won't have to think too hard to recognize that person. Much of this movie was filmed in Bulgaria, which is why we are able to see so much real military equipment. (You just know that the US military would never have cooperated in making this satiric expose of war-profiteering.) I especially enjoyed the character of "Omar Sharif" as played by the Bulgarian actor Lyubomir Neikov. In one scene in which he is on the dance floor with Marisa Tomei he has a couple of lines that could summarize our entire foreign policy attitude toward the foreign leaders we install - and uninstall - in power.Naturally, this film won't appeal to everyone. If you believe that the on-going privatization of our foreign policy, the military, intelligence collection and analysis, prisons and the corrections system, public health, and a myriad of other government services is a good thing you may not find much to like in this film. If you believe, however, that destroying people and countries in order to add to some corporation's bottom line is an abomination I think you'll find much to appreciate in this film. Nothing could be more in keeping with the Spirit of Independence that heaping well-deserved ridicule on corrupt powers that be.
McCheesy's take on "War,Inc."
posted on 14 Jul 2009Its political satire at its best. There were some over the top scenarios but it didn't feel like dragging and I actually kinda loved it. John Cusack returns to his "Point Blank" persona as burnt out hit-man Brand Hauser who works for a former US vice president and for his latest assignment he travels to a fictitious Middle Eastern country aptly called Turaqistan (which either sounds like Iraq or Afghanistan) to punch the ticket of a Middle Eastern oil tycoon who is actually in the way of enterprising corporate giant (also fictitious): Tamerlane.I have no problem with the plot. I mean its really not meant for deep, deep thought and recollection. Its just some corporate moguls controlling a war torn country and a "solitary man" will adjudicate some unsettled things. There, that's basically the premise of the film. But its not all that, there is a should I say big twist near the end which involves Hauser's past and a really awesome fight sequence between Cusack's character and a bunch of 50 Cent wannabes.Hillary Duff steers clear of his poster-girl-for-chick-flicks image and makes a bold turn as Middle Eastern popstar Yonica Babyyeah and surprisingly, she was pretty good. She has come a long way since Lizzie McGuire and all is working well in her film career. Though her accent is quite ridiculous, its the acting, as a whole, that counts. Putting a scorpion down your holiest of holies? Now, that's some major improvement.War, Inc. is a political satire and a darn good one at that. 7/10
Dumb, silly, totally over the top
posted on 12 Jul 2009There is nothing new gained from this movie. We all know that corporations and greed and money basically rule the world, that USA invaded Iraq for the oil, that (mostly) American companies make big profits in post-war (if you can call it that) Iraq / Afghanistan. We know the clichés and the stereotypes.So what's left? Well, to be entertained of course. And I was not. The plot is silly and easy to figure out. Some of the "jokes" make you cringe - below "Naked Gun" style dummy humor and not funny. Grossly over the top - not even funny as a pure comedy.If you want good (political) satire, watch "Man of the Year", "Wag the Dog", "Thank you for smoking".
A satirical view of today...
posted on 12 Jul 2009A satirical view of today's world. A movie which allows you for once to step back and take a look at our world from the outside. Things might not seem so right and correct. Successfully points out some of the most typical features of western society which we have turned out to be accustomed to. Even though it proposes a quite fictional view of the American role in the world, showing a country ruled by the Us in a sort of parallel world controlled through cameras and secret services. Somehoe reminds of Orwell's 1984 or Huxley's A brave new world. The story is not very involving sometimes turns out to be a bit hard to follow and some scenes seem to be just useless and inappropriate, while the acting is good, the main actors have done a good job. A the soundtrack is often fitting in the scenes, contrasting, adding some irony to the story. In all a pleasant movie good to watch.
Appalling
posted on 12 Jul 2009Just utter trash. I'm a huge fan of the Cusacks, this being the sole reason I watched this movie, but the only reason I can see for their presence was the reprise, in complete and depth less quality, their exact roles from Grosse Point Blanc. Apart from that, the films' role as a political satire fails miserably as being too obvious for even the most moronic out there to serve any purpose. And to bill it as a satirical satire would be just plain insulting even to chimps. Imitation is, apparently the highest form of flattery, but seeing as though this is nothing near Grosse Point Blanc and in the same league as meet the (watch if your a moron) Spartans in terms of political satire, lets leave well enough alone and let this one fade into the obscurity it absolutely deserves.
A Modern masterpiece
posted on 10 Jul 2009I am almost sick of films and of music, I get the same feeling from watching new movies as when eating too much candy. Then once or twice a year something different and refreshing comes along like a cool drink of water. War Inc was the second film in 2008 to put a smile on my face! It is a black comedy with a serious backdrop showing corporate America as it really is and its future on the global stage. The film is a real kick in the nuts for the current administration and the corporate elit. The film portrays a fictional Haliburton brilliantly, and also the corruption that goes with it. This is a film for those like me who are sick too death of the cheap mediocre teen comedies and who want too enjoy some much sought after intellectual humor!
Very good movie
posted on 26 Jun 2009This movie was excellent for the following reasons: 1) It contained great backdrops and sets. 2) It showed the disparity of a war-torn environment alongside a technological one. 3) John Cusack's acting was terrific. He portrayed angst very well. 4) It showed the vulnerabilities of everyone in a war-torn situation. 5) It gave us a picture of what might happen in the future in many respects. I was also impressed with the acting for the most part. Hilary's acting was, I found, the most stilted. The morals and values of everyone in a war-torn situation are up for grabs. The liberal journalist and the conservative business man are capable of doing anything in any situation and are equally unpredictable. Great stuff. PSP
Tries so hard to be funny and fails so miserably. Do not waste your time.
posted on 22 Jun 2009I don't get it. It's just mind blowing. How can THIS sorry excuse of a film get 7.2? It fails badly at satire. It fails badly at carrying a political message. It fails very, very badly at comedy. The plot is one big mess where you'll just keep going "what...the...hell?" None of this makes any kind of remotely vague sense, from the characters' background to the main antagonist to the development of the plot. To try to cover this garbage with a semi-intellectual and informed gloss, you'll see some characters spewing political-economic-biological-metaphysical BS that makes even less sense than having hip hop wannabes right right next to hip hop divas in miniskirts in the film's version of Iraq. Yeah, you did read that right. If you're expecting to see some smart political satire in here, the way Wag the Dog did it, just don't bother. The only thing you'll see is absurd and distorted leftism. Don't get me wrong, I'm as leftist as possible, but THIS makes a mockery of every left leaning idea you can think of. The only place where this mess belongs, is not in theaters, not in DVD stores, not even on cable TV. It's in the bottom 100. Actually make that the bottom 10. Or the bottom 5. All there is is nonsense that tries so hard to be funny and fails so miserably.
Where's Minnie?
posted on 22 Jun 2009I not really sure whether or not the reason I was disappointed in this film was because it wasn't what I wanted it to be or whether it seemed to lose it's comedic value because of what seemed to be a pretentious message wrapped up in a most confusing plot. This film offered three of the stars of one of my favorite movies, "Grosse Point Blank", (John Cusack, Joan Cusack and Dan Aykroyd). Cusack once again appears as a "troubled hit-man" as he did in "Grosse Point Blank" but this time the gimmick that worked so well ... just doesn't work. When I rented this film the lady behind the counter at Blockbuster warned me "It's no "Grosse Pointe Blank". Boy was she right! What this film doesn't have is Minnie Driver and a contained plot that flows with humor that still makes some sort of outrageous sense. My take on this film was that the film makers couldn't make up their mind as to whether they wanted to make a comedy or get across their anti-war message. Nothing wrong with an anti-war message type of film ... just don't let the message interfere with the entertainment that it promises to deliver. In other words, everything seemed forced, and that is what caused this film not to work for me. I would have much rather watched a "Grosse Point Blank 2" but sometimes sequels that should have been made are not such as a "Dirty Dancing 2" that could have starred Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.
Make fun, not war
posted on 22 Jun 2009Erm, strange strange film, very disjointed. Some of the satire was pretty biting but as a whole entity, it just didn't work.The story was a mess and inconsequential, it sort of careered recklessly here and there to fit in digs at the Middle Eastern situation without caring too much about actually making things compelling or fun. Was as if they thought they could rely on Cusack's charm alone to carry that side of things.The last half hour tried tying it all together but that collapsed under the weight of its own ridiculousness. Marisa Tomei doing kung-fu in a bridesmaid dress isn't as funny as it sounds.Grosse Point Blank worked, I think, because movie hit men are fair game for some hipster absurdity. Iraq less so, even if the intentions are well-meaning. Ah forget it, I could probably get past all that if this had a script half as good as GPB. But not to be.Cusack's always good fun to be around I guess, even if age is starting to tell on his usual boyishness. He had a tired look that went beyond the role. Maybe he is getting tired of these roles. I might be.And Ben Kingsley... does he have first refusal on every single sinister badass in Hollywood? He was great in Sexy Beast, but now the surprise of that performance is out of the way, his menace is seriously diluted.
A Bad Grosse Point Blank
posted on 16 Jun 2009I'll make this a very brief review. The entire movie was a thinly veiled attack on the war in Iraq, as well as a satire of the corporate power in America.But in terms of a movie, it was just a very bad Grosse Point Blank. GPB was a great film showing a man's attempt at change, even after going through the worst that man-kind has to offer. War, Inc, however, tries to take that same message and butchers it by putting it through a political lens. What really sucks is they could have made some kind of Grosse Point Blank ripoff, even with Cusack's same secretary and antagonist (Akroyd) - but they HAD to make an anti-war protest film.
Hard moral markers
posted on 29 May 2009Experts agree: "War, Inc." is a mess.The sense you get is of the writers brainstorming and coming up with a list of core concepts (like the one I'll address in detail, below), and a plethora of secondary concepts of varied ingenuity (e.g., the US$79.95/mo. virtual info/psych butler service). They then set out to "craft" a script that squeezes in and interleaves as many of these ideas as possible. Doing so in a crafty manner is a tall order, and the feeling you get is that they didn't quite clinch that goal.What's all that going to mean to the "average" viewer? I feel that, in the end, it's eclipsed by a much bigger issue.What matters is the messy proliferation in this movie of what I call "hard moral markers." I call them "hard" because either they necessitate some kind of active moral response on the part of the viewer, or alternately their hardness serves to highlight the immoral passivity of the observers.I'll give you one example, and we can explore a few of these (non-)responses.For instance, take the central tragic/ironic image from the movie; the system makes money for the hardware/services deployed to destroy a society's infrastructure, then wins "contracts" to rebuild the destroyed infrastructure. Further, these contracts are "won" in dubious non-transparent bidding processes.Question: Is the foregoing a fair representation of reality in Iraq as I write this (Late May, 2008)? If it's even 10% true, that's 10% too much.How do we contort ourselves around this core image from this movie? Let me count the ways:.1) It's only a movie; it's not real. If, however, I'm just telling myself a convenient lie, then I've lost my humanity.2) It's only a movie; albeit one in which the filmmakers are pushing a pernicious image of an America that could find itself pitching ever-downward into such an unspeakably vile moral chasm. This is a slander of the first order, and an America that can't muster the iota of self-respect to countenance such an execrable slander has lost its humanity.3) If it's real, and I profess to care, but don't do anything about it, then I'm just burnishing my already sterling capacity to hide my unwillingness to act in just accord with my moral standards behind "good intentions", and I've lost my humanity.4) It's only a movie; but the idea that anyone would think such a vile representation of American blind immorality could be pitched as a "comedy" is beyond the pale. Yes, it's possible that this is, in some measure, a fair representation of American mid-Eastern foreign policy, but it's no laughing matter. But the fact that Hollywood has been, aesthetically speaking, all over the map on this issue (serious documentary, historically-based reenactments, and now farce) with little to show for it in terms of genuine moral indignation from what we like to think of as a morally decent American polity only serves to highlight that, despite our favored, "Sunday-best" self-perceptions, we are in reality morally bankrupt and have lost our humanity.Did I cover everything? The movie is reaching out to try to shake us. John Cusack said that he just wanted to "push the dialog along." Fine; push away. I'm just a little concerned that nothing of any significance will ever get through our thick American skulls until it's too late.
OMG Hilary !!! Too much F words
posted on 21 May 2009To be Honest the reason i went to see this movie is because of Hilary is in it and i gotta say it turns out to be a big disappointment, she surely changed a lot since 18 years old you can tell from the material girl and this one, it's not that i don't like her outfit, i just can't stand all the dirt talk and seducement it's just doesn't like her, but one of the good things about this movie is the performances by John Cusack, Marisa Tomei was excellent, some people found this movie funny but i didn't laugh the entire time all, i can say is this is a meaningless, political joke and it needs better editing and better screenplay.
Duff steals the show
posted on 21 May 2009You movie is basically a rant at America and the way they police/Destroy all minor nations real or in this case "Turaqistan" make believe. you then have your story within this with Mr Cusack, a down on his luck assassin sent to do a job in Turaqistan and all that follows to distract him from this.The movie has some hilarious moments, basically every scene with Hilary Duff is hilarious. She plays Yonica Babyyeah an oversexed brat that performs a fantastic solo of "i'm gonna blow you.....up". Priceless and worth the admission price alone. You then have the tanks rolling around with advertising slogans like a Nascar.the movie still could have been a lot better, at points it just seemed to muddle its way through with no real direction. In the first 45 minutes you don't always understand the scenario of the private security forces, the American soldiers, the company etc etc, it does get a little confusing.However the performances of John Cusack and Hilary Duff are top drawer and with the humour this is certainly worth watching.
A satire that could have been more
posted on 15 May 2009As a spiritual successor to Grosse Point Blank, I must say that I hope we keep that sentiment just that: spiritual. While GPB was a sardonically dark film, this film attempts to proverbially "perform surgery with a machete." The good points are there. John and Joan Cusack are brilliant foils for each other, whether because they are brother and sister or the just work that well together. Hillary Duff definitely took a risk, and to some extent it paid off. And to be completely forthright, there is a solid point to be made about the privatization of war, and satire has always been a great way to address social ills. Look at "Dr. Strangelove" for the epitome of this art form.Yet, this movie left something to be desired. I would argue that the art of satire lies in subtlety. Granted, one must make pointed jabs in order to allow the full meaning of the statement get through. However, this movie had the subtlety of a baseball bat. It's direct references to current events, corporations and political figures are in no way cleverly disguised. The dialog was heavy handed and self serving, while the plot was contrived and trying way too hard. The dark ending, the "twist" and heavy handed second act made this story way too smart for it's own good.In the end, the experienced part of the cast delivered an acceptable performance, the choreography was spot on for the fights, and the irony and comedy landed a few rare blows. But over all, this movie had much more potential than was delivered.5/10
So....wasn't it supposed to be funny?
posted on 11 May 2009War, Inc. - Corporations take over war in the future and use a lone assassin Brand Hauser (John Cusack) to do their wet-work against rival CEOs. A dark comedy satirizing the military and corporations alike. It was often difficult to figure out what exactly was going on. I kept waiting for things to make sense. There's no reason or method to the madness.It's considered by Cusack to be the "spiritual successor" to Grosse Point Blank. I.e., War is more or less a knock-off. We again see Cusack as an assassin protecting *spoiler* the person he's supposed to kill as he grips with his conscience. To be fair, John Cusack looks kind of credible taking out half a dozen guys with relative ease. The brief fights look good. The rest of the film does not. It's all quirky often bordering on bizarre. War Inc's not funny enough to be a parody, and too buoyant for anyone to even think about whatever the film's message might be, which I suppose might be the heartless ways that corporations, like war factions compete and scheme without a drop of consideration given to how they affect average citizens. Interesting, but the satire just doesn't work because it's not funny and at its heart the film has no heart. We're supposed to give a damn about how war affects Cusack's shell of a character rather than the millions of lives torn apart by war.John Cusack gives a decent performance. His character chugs shots of hot sauce and drives the tiniest private plane but quirks are meant to replace character traits. Marisa Tomei is slumming as the romantic sidekick journalist. There really isn't a lot of chemistry between them. Hilary Duff tries a Russian accent and doesn't make a fool of herself. Joan Cusack just screams and whines and wigs out. Blech. Ben Kingsley might have to return the Oscar if he doesn't start doling out a decent performance now and again. Pathetic.It's not a terrible movie, but in the end you gotta ask "War, what is it good for?" Absolutely nothing. C-
modern war
posted on 21 Aug 2009By all accounts, "War, Inc." is an allegory for the current state of the world. Set in a fictional Middle Eastern country (a representation of Iraq) occupied...not by the US army, but by a private security firm (an obvious allusion to Blackwater). John Cusack is the star, but Joan Cusack's character is the best in the movie.Bill O'Reilly called this movie propaganda. He knows a thing or two about propaganda; he's the master of it. While the movie does have a strong political bend, it's taking a serious inspection of what's going on in the world. Throughout the movie, the tanks and weapons are emblazoned with advertisements.So I certainly recommend this movie. It's a real look at what war has become. Also starring Marisa Tomei, Hilary Duff, Dan Aykroyd and Ben Kingsley.