War, Inc.
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Movie Reviews of War, Inc.
Movie Review: Strong start, strong characters, but riddled with comedic holes.
Summary: 3 Stars
Outsourcing wars, killing people that want to kill you, using charity as cover, and teaching yourself how hot sauce can become a tool of the trade are all things that the movie brings to the table. It is a sppof and has a spoof feel, and some of the movie really is funny. Conversations held with your navigation device to discuss your problems is a good example of that, because some of the things that it says are truly funny material. Other things also rear their heads and get good laughs as well, and the first half of the movie would have been a five-star beast if it would have kept up its pace. It didn't do that, though, and instead became convoluted and a bit on the boring side. By the end of the movie I was just ready for the thing to end, and i really didn't expect that. I say that because of the main person involved is someone i like, and he had his hands in the project fromt he beginning. Still, it does have some moments in it and they are really good moments, so I didn't find myself totally hating the movie.
One of the things I did dislike was the way Hilary Duff's character was portrayed. This isn't meant as a knock on her acting skills, but is instead meant to address the issues of the character itself. She goes from an accented star to a person with hidden feelings that sounds like Duff, and that didn't play out well. Neither did the forced love connection that enters the fray, or the overall connection between the past and the present. Looking at the scenes that some of this happens in makes me think that they should have been funny and, if executed properly, they would have been great. They were not played out well, however, and the mixture of many things makes the over-the-top violene seem like it wants to be something like Shoot-em-up but without all the wonderful little things that made that movie funny.
One pro in the movie was the acting of John C., however, but I expected that. I liked what he did with his character and i liked the subtle things that came out when he interacted with other people. I even bought into his killer instincts when they were displayed, and how they made him look like a man that was an artist when it came to killing. As I said before, i simply could not find my footing in the storyline and it diminished the character's capacity to make me laugh, ruining some rather good moments. If John C. was less talented at taking roles and bending them to his will, i would have found the movie even less desirable than I did.
Some people do like this movie a lot and i respect that, too. I want people to know that as well, thinking they should perhaps read why they thought the movie was a good one and measure those pros and cons. As i pointed out in my review, I liked the start of this beast and I thought that it had quite a few moments that really took the proverbial cake. I just couldn't eat a whole slice because it seemed undercooked and, as everyone knows, uncooing things can poison even the most healthy of persons.
Not my cup of tea - or hot sauce, if you prefer.
Movie Review: You'll Love It or Hate It: Grosse Point Goes to Iraq on LSD
Summary: 3 Stars
Most people will NOT enjoy this movie, but a select few will find it provocatively funny. War, Inc. is an almost surreal blend of Dr. Strangelove, Grosse Point Blank, Fargo, Apocalypse Now, and a cerebral National Lampoon movie (if such a contradiction in terms were possible... imagine Animal House Goes to Iraq). Don't bother if you're annoyed by convoluted subplots backfilled by indiscriminate flashback scenes, or looking for a good laugh in a light romantic comedy.
Despite an all-star cast (John Cusack, Marisa Tomei, Hilary Duff, Joan Cusack, Ben Kingsley and Dan Akroyd), War, Inc. will fall flat for most people. Set in a fictional third-world Islamic country, this satire of the American military-industrial complex is a blatant backdrop for further jabs at the Cheney/Halliburton/Blackwater junta. John Cusack's ability to write some of the cleverest dialogue in modern cinema allows his character to be interesting and sometimes brilliant, (especially when interacting with Marisa Tomei and Hilary Duff). Good acting and interesting dialogue will not be enough for the average viewer to enjoy this film. Offensively hilarious scenes (a chorus line of local war amputees on prosthetic legs) will either leave the viewer rolling on the floor or slack-jawed in revulsion.
There's something reminiscent in War, Inc. of the failed 1983 film, Deal of the Century, another satire of the military industrial complex with a great cast (Chevy Chase, Sigourney Weaver and Gregory Hines). Unlike the mediocre Deal of the Century, Cusacks' newest film is more like Fargo in the sense you'll either love or hate it; but unlike Fargo, I think the vast majority of viewers will fall on the wrong side of getting the punch line. Like a Big Mac, this film blends a lot of different ingredients together (perhaps too many), and like a Big Mac, you'll either be delighted or disgusted... which is why I gave it 3 stars, because you'll give it either 1 or 5.
You'll like this movie if:
You prefer watching Dr. Strangelove or Grosse Point Blank after a six pack or some mind-altering substance.
You'll dislike this movie if:
You want a straightforward laugh, are looking forward to Hilary Duff reprising her usual rolls, can't stand political satire, or are expecting a repeat of Grosse Point Blank.
Movie Review: Not a hit, but a near miss
Summary: 3 Stars
As a movie I give it two stars, as political satire I give it four stars, hence the three star rating. Cusack is not my favorite actor, and invariably I have found movies written, produced and starred in by actors to be nothing more than smug vanity pieces. But I must say this movie rises above that to a surprising degree and I found myself enjoying it more and more as it went along. Cusack managed to make his role reasonably believable, and even likeable, and Marisa Tomei as always was perfect. In fact Marisa Tomei almost single handedly saved this movie for me. She is probably the most underrated actress in Hollywood. Even Hilary Duff was surprisingly good, though she still can't sing. The political satire aspect of the movie was mostly well done and if anything went easy on the good old USA. I say this because I just finished reading Peter Dale Scott's "American War Machine," which details the decades long collaboration between the CIA and the US Military with the international drug cartels as a means to an end for the powers that be (i.e., Big oil, Wall Street, and the military industrial complex). Even apart from the politics I found the movie quite enjoyable as a good old fashioned tale of love, redemption, and yes, old fashioned American values, pre "W."
Movie Review: Barely three stars
Summary: 3 Stars
I have to agree with the average of review stars. This movie wasn't that good. The story was supposed to be a sendup of CIA-type flicks, but it fell a bit flat, and didn't ever get the laughs it seemed to be going for. The black humor was more of a gray color... Joan Cusack, I could have done without, in her shrill, typecast role. I like Marisa Tomei, but she was not well directed as the "normal" one. You could be excused for confusing Ben Kingsley with Patrick Stewart in X-Men... This movie couldn't make up its mind to be one thing or the other, either a campy but semi-serious spy flick or a total crazy sendup, and it floundered for that reason. If you want a good movie of this type, try Wag the Dog, or Dr. Strangelove, or even Primary Colors (tho that does not include war, just politics). Or any of Pierce Brosnan's Bond flicks. Or even Sneakers. They're all better than this.Movie Review: Good, not great.
Summary: 3 Stars
This was good, but not great. I think I need to watch it a second time, actually. I did find the actors to be absolutely wonderful. I adore John Cusack and usually not so much Joan, but her style of acting fit this part absolutely perfectly.
I got a bit lost in the storyline, somehow missed the significance of the hot sauce (and am now obsessed with it actually)... but it's worth a watch - but pay attention to this one, I was a bit distracted. Will give it another watch when I can pay attention closer!