War Inc. (2008)

John Cusack Film Fest Movie #2

Synopsis: “Ok John, just be the guy you were in Grosse Pointe Blank, except you’re in... Iraq!! Well, it’s not really Iraq – but you get it. Oh, and you’re working for Dick Cheney trying to kill some local turd, you want to get into Marisa Tomei’s pants, and Hilary Duff sings some really shitty songs. Trust me - it’ll be great!”

Blurb From the DVD Jacket: “Recreating his role as a hitman, John Cusack gives a hilarious performance in ‘War Inc.,” a political satire set in Turaqistan, a Country occupied by an American Vice President (Dan Aykroyd).” [“Recreating his role?” Um, I’m pretty sure Hauser isn’t Martin Blank]

What Did I Learn?: Gulping down entire shot glasses of high-scoville hot sauce is poor method of dealing with your personal problems.

You Might Like This Movie If: You want to see John Cusack “recreate a role”... even if he never actually played that character before.

Really?: 1) John Cusack and Hilary Duff are [NO SPOILERS!]? Well, it worked in The Empire Strikes Back… 2) When Natalie is kidnapped, Hauser has a pretty good idea of where to find her. 3) So wait… Hauser is a paid assassin for the US government, and he thinks it’s a good idea to wine and dine a cute, left-wing reporter? I have a bit of trouble believing anything like that could ever happen. 4) I’m not sure how one can hide in the back of a garbage truck and somehow dodge a hailstorm of 9mm bullets.

Rating: War Inc. is an ambitious anti-war comedy that bites off a bit more than it can chew. While Cusack is a likeable bloke (for a hit man) and he shares some romantic chemistry with Tomei, the film isn’t terribly funny (Turaquistan’s President is named “Omar Sharif”…my ribs, my ribs!), and the second half is a mess of explosions and gunfire. The worst scenes involve Duff as Yonica Babyyeah, whose part seems to have been tacked on for sex appeal. 6/10 stars.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0884224/