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Tribeca: ‘War, Inc.’ Is Hell
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The best thing you can say about John Cusack’s new movie ‘War, Inc.’ is that his heart is in the right place. Cusack co-wrote and produced this broad satire about the first war to be outsourced completely to a corporation. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on Monday and also stars Hilary Duff, Marisa Tomei, Ben Kingsley, Dan Akyroyd, and the star’s sister Joan Cusack.
Brother John plays a hit man (Grosse Point Blank, anyone?) hired by the corporation running the war to off the interfering Oil Minister of fictional war-torn Turaqistan. Cusack goes undercover as a trade show organizer who must also help with the marriage of a hard-to-handle Bollywood pop star (Duff playing against type).
The film proves how difficult it is to marry broad comedy with a political message. Cusack’s humor is hit-and-miss, and the ‘Austin Powers’ style gags hit the wrong tone. Political cartoonism works better in print than on film. Cusack is also so blatant in his criticism of the U.S.’s handling of the war in Iraq, while offering no fresh perspectives.
This, I think, is the film’s problem. You can either do big comedy and subtle allusions to current events, like ‘Dr. Strangelove.’ Or you can do direct references to current events with a more understated tone, like Bill Maher. Cusack’s attempt to be both current and broad simply doesn’t work. It feels dated just coming out of the gate. It won’t hold up by the time it’s out on DVD (which will probably be a week or two).
The one standout is Cusack’s sister Joan. She’s in her element, but perhaps having the star/producer/writer as sibling helps you get all the best bits.
