USAToday
Claudia Puig
Screwball, vaguely futuristic political satires are a rare hybrid, and War, Inc. is an intriguing, if flawed, example.
Recalling Dr. Strangelove, Wag the Dog and even Idiocracy, the film skewers American imperialism, corporate greed and corruption and offers a sometimes clever commentary on the Iraq War. While it can be bitingly funny, the plot goes off in several directions and often loses its way.
War, Inc.'s biggest asset is its star, producer and co-writer, John Cusack. He's one of the most likable American actors, and it's a pleasure to see him in something other than a mainstream romance or generic drama.
His comic timing is razor-sharp, and he can deliver a harshly sardonic line and still remain engaging.
This could almost be a companion piece to one of his best films, Grosse Pointe Blank. Playing another hit man with heart, Cusack might be a more seasoned version of Grosse Pointe's Martin Blank.
He plays Hauser, who is hired to kill a Middle Eastern oil minister inexplicably named Omar Sharif. Hauser's assignment is set in war-torn Turaqistan, which has been invaded and occupied by an American corporation run by the former U.S. vice president (Dan Aykroyd). As such, it's "the first war ever to be 100% outsourced to private enterprise."
Hauser's cover is as producer of a show starring a Central Asian pop superstar named Yonica Babyeah (Hilary Duff, who proves she is capable of edgier fare). Hot on their trail is a savvy reporter (Marisa Tomei).
Some scenes in this thinly veiled stand-in for Iraq are heavy-handed: "Thank You America" banners decorate war-ravaged buildings. Others are inventive: Reporters must endure the "implanted journalist experience," a virtual ride through battlegrounds that substitutes for actual field reporting.
Though it occasionally tries too hard, the fast-paced and sharply written War, Inc. is audacious and entertaining.
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