Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I swear, swear, swear I'll have my John Cusack interview up tonight or may I be damned to evil, hated 90s List like talkbacks for the rest of my life. We chatted for WAR, INC and now we have a review. I'm very much looking forward to this movie. I love Cusack's previous delvings into dark comedy, like GROSSE POINTE BLANK. Enjoy the review!

Hey Harry and the gang,

Long time no write; sorry about that, but not a lot happens here in the cultural black-hole otherwise known as Phoenix -- particularly in the way of film. I believe the last time I wrote in it was for a review of "Elizebethtown" -- I found the cut that was finally released far superior to the on I saw; it's actually a film I'd recommend now, but for me the film still fell shy of what I expect from Cameron Crowe.

Anyway, I've recently seen a great little film called "War, Inc." and since I haven't seen anyone write up on it yet I figured I'd throw in my two sense while it can sill be considered a scoop! Don't really know whose posting this sort of thing right now so I sent it out to all ya'll; hope ya' don't mind.

So without further delay I give you my thoughts on "War, Inc.:

What little advertisement and buzz available seems bent on touting "War, Inc." as another "Wag the Dog", but it's the womb of "Dr. Strangelove" that this film seems ripped from.

That's not to say it's of Kubrick caliber by any means -- although I found it a thoroughly enjoyable film this will never be the masterpiece that satirical gem was. What I mean by the above comment is that "Dr. Strangelove" is clearly the inspiration for "War, Inc.". "War, Inc." is pure screwball comedy delivered on the heels of heavy satirical commentary regarding the state of America and how closely our government has become entwined with big corporate entities.

The story revolves around Brad Hauser (played PERFECTLY by John Cusack), a corporate assassin sent to Turaquistan -- which when pronounced sounds more ore less like Iraq-istan -- to kill Omar Sherif for the Tamerlane corporation in the first privatized war in history.

... and hilarity ensues.

Again, this film is built around screw-ball comedy, but that is not to say it isn't a smart film. Just like in "Dr. Strangelove" all the wackiness stems from very smart and exacting social commentary; sure, a missile may malfunction and blow-up a hilariously in-appropriate target to which the launcher simply replies "Oh well, shit happens", but this is just as much a goofy joke as it is an indictment on claims of no-collateral missiles due to high technology developed by companies more concerned with profit than the quality of their out-put.

But the film doesn't stop with mocking the shortfalls and shady shenanigans of the current administration, no, it also goes straight for the heart of America's short fallings as a society, mainly our obsession with celebrities. Just like we're more concerned with "Bredjolena" than the war in Iraq most people in the film seem far more concerned with Arab pop star Yonica Babyyeah (played surprisingly well by Hillary Duff) than the crumbling country and dying people around them
-- an attitude, I might add, fostered by Tamerlane who uses it to manipulate the masses for their purposes (*ahem* nudge, nudge). The character is very well developed and a perfect amalgamation of American super stars; Hillary uses it to her advantage, transparently trying to shake her squeaky-clean teen-queen persona with character -- and what's more it works (I was definitely wanting her to blow me... up)! Not to mention the fact that Hillary Duff is herself an over-glamorized pop-star adding a dimension of cinematic symmetry that cannot be denied

In fact, Id say that a large reason as to why the film works so well is because of the cast. True, a satire -- particularly such a wacky one like this -- cannot work unless the writing staff and director bring their A-game (which they do), but it's the fact that the talent on set breath such vivid life into their characters and make you believe that they would actually engage in such over-the-top goofiness that makes it work so well. If John Cusack couldn't make us believe in such a burnt-out "circling the drain" character like Brand we would have trouble with the fact that he's addicted to hot-sauce, but instead Brand is so fully rendered as an utterly miserable man searching for anything to excite his senses that we can understand him needing 130 scolding units to liven up his taste buds and keep him going. Thus we laugh each time he pours and downs a shot of "Sargent Flammers" rather than role our eyes and think about how fucking stupid this movie is.

And it's exactly this attention to detail presant in all the characters that prevents "War, Inc" from being just a poor imitation of "Dr. Strangelove". In that movie everyone was insane/stark-raving stupid (with the exception of President Merkin Muffley) which worked well in that movie because it was about how humanity is ill-equiped to posses such a powerful weapon. This film, on the otherhand, is about how such an intelligent and powerful nation did things so bafflingly dumb -- the characters have to be real, smart, and well-developed to make that point. Sure, it could say "an idiots in the whitehouse", make a few jokes about a drunken W. trying to get a slinky to roll down the staircase while his country turns to shit -- and while their is a little of that sort of thing present, it was the stuff that worked the least -- but "War, Inc." recognizes that's just an easy answer and one that is most definitely wrong. The reason that the most well-educated, powerful, wealthiest nation on Earth did something so stupid is because Cheney, the W, Karl, all of them know exactly what they're doing: making money, and we as a society have reached roman levels of decedance to the point that we don't even care enough to call them on their shit. It's a hard pill to swallow, but this film covers our mouth and strokes our throat until we get it down -- all the while managing to make us laugh out loud (got a little heavy there... felt I had to remind us all that we're talking about a comedy here)!

All this is not to say that the film isn't without flaw. "War, Inc." opens with white text over a black screen informing us that in the 21st century mega corporations took control of government and publicly reavealed themselves as the true rullers of the world, and my only thoughts were "haven't they done that already... not even recently -- like back in the eighties." That's pretty much what had me rolling my eyes for the first fifteen miniutes or so; all the jokes trying to provide some-sort of commentary or insight were things we had already heard and excepted long ago -- like heavy-handed versions of bits from "The Daily Show". We have seen and heard it all before in one form or another but the film wants us to believe that it's giving us something new and fresh.

Still, having John Cusack walk into a Popeye's Chicken and Buscuit and hearing him order "a Big Flava' Chicken Sandwich with Extra Boss Sauce" is enough for me to forgive the early missfirings and enjoy as the film sheds its cliche' conventions and begins to reveal far more provacative and darker territory.

I highly reccomend you catch "War, Inc." when it comes to theaters this Friday... though most of you likely won't. It's smart, funny, unique, and at times very powerful (the rescue mission outside of "Emerald City" truly shook me), but will ultimately find the same fate as "Lord of War"; a great film that should have been seen but never was.

Best and all,
Eddie Adams