War, Inc.
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Movie Reviews of War, Inc.
Movie Review: Not as good as expected.
Summary: 2 Stars
I wanted this movie to be good. As a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War who opposes our nation's militarism, I thought this caricature would be entertaining. Alas, it was not. This film failed to capture my attention and failed to provide any stimulation, intellectual or otherwise, throughout the duration.
Although I believe it is worthy of watch, it is not the cerebral satire of contemporary American policy that I thought it would be.
Movie Review: so, so
Summary: 2 Stars
I am a fan of John Cusack's work, but this was not my favorite movie. It was boring, rather disjointed...silly...I suppose if you like "Airplane" you might like this. View at your own risk.Movie Review: Save your time and money
Summary: 1 Stars
My wife and I have loved almost everything John Cusack has ever done. On the strength of that alone we will watch his stuff when it comes out. But given the star power in this movie it was a must see.
The advertising made it sound as though Cusack was reprising his role from Grosse Pointe Blank as the introspective, edgy hitman looking to bring sense into his chaotic life and restore his karma to balance. Throughout the movie (which took three sittings to get all the way through) I kept waiting for some bit of Martin Blank to resurface. When that seemed to much to hope for I waited for the funny part to begin, which I was sure Cusack would deliver. When that failed to appear I began to wait for the part where the plot would move along to some engaging point that would keep me entertained through the remainder of the film. It never came.
I know Cusack has some very typical Hollywood left leanings, that's fine. I know it is popular in Hollywood to bash the military. Fine, that's your right to do so. But others have done it in ways that were entertaining and worthwhile. Kubrick's classic Full Metal Jacket certainly displayed much of what is wrong with the military and the absurdity of warfare in general, and at the same time was wildly entertaining. (Being a former Marine I can also say it is the closest thing to a real representation of boot camp in that era I have ever seen in film, as well.)
However, this movie was over the top in it's approach, so much so that the jokes and supposed "funny bits" were just vapid and sophmoric at best, and at worst, down right demeaning to both the actors, the audience and the real life people they are supposed to be lampooning. I can't beleive the fine actors in this movie actually read the script before sigining on to make this movie. The scene with the soldiers wacked out on drugs killing everything that moved comes to mind as one of the worst scenes in the movie. Was that supposed to be satire? Or does someone out there think that is an accurate reflection of actual combat soldiers?
Like I said I kept waiting for the stars in this movie to shine, but I think a previous reviewer had it correct with Samuel L Jackson's quote. All the syrup in the world won't hide the bad taste this p.o.s. will leave in your mouth.
Wow, the more I think back the more I feel like this may actually be the worst movie I have ever seen. Don't make the same mistake I made, save your time and money.
Movie Review: Tired: Been There, Done that
Summary: 1 Stars
WAR, INC. tries very hard to be a film of consequence - as though no one in this country has a clue of just how absurdly grotesque our military/corporate presence affects the countries we attack to help. The position is taken that corporate greed and manifold insanity is (surprise!) capable of taking over demolished countries and changing them into profitable adventures. That may be funny to some, but it has been written about and filmed and satirized so often that it is really yesterday's lunch.
Joshua Seftel directs this mélange with a semi-spacey, overly active pyrotechnics team and relies on a script by the oh-so-obvious committee quality pasted together by producer/writer/actor John Cusack and Mark Leyner and Jeremy Pikser. Despite all the noise and kitschy bleeps in taste the cast manages to keep our attention merely because they are as good as they are as actors: John Cusack with his ever-present drink of Tabasco sauce, Joan Cusack playing Joan Cusack very well, Marisa Tomei as probably the most convincing character despite the script, Dan Aykroyd as a stand in for Dick Cheney, and Hilary Duff in a surprisingly good potty-mouthed central role.
The jokes are old, the situation is not novel, the précis is sad - and if that makes for entertainment for you, then have at it. For this viewer it is one of the poorest scripts to be filmed in a long time. Grady Harp, October 08
Movie Review: Point Blank Gross...
Summary: 1 Stars
If you loved John Cusack, as I did, in the perfectly dark comedy "Grosse Pointe Blank", I would suggest you stay away from "WAR, Inc." in order to keep intact the image of the character Cusack played. "War, Inc." presents us with an odd mutation of that character, a mutation that is neither funny nor in any way compelling... The background this time is a fictional, war torn Middle Eastern country where all the natives behave like stereotypical cartoon versions of themselves. The World has been taken over by corporations which governments subcontract to conduct wars on their behalf. The more wars, the more profits. Cusack has been hired by one of the corporations to destabilize the region by assassinating the country's president. His cover: he is managing a contractor EXPO, where the main event is the wedding of a local pop star. The corporation headquarters are in the basement of the local "Popeye's Gravy and Biscuits"...If this sounds ridiculous, that's because it is. The humour never becomes intelligent enough or funny enough to graduate into the realm of political satire. As a viewer you are stuck, firmly surrounded by misfired jokes and poor filmmaking.
If you feel strongly compelled to buy this film, I suggest that you "test drive" it on Video on Demand for less then three bucks. Hopefully, this will prevent you from spending more $$$ on a DVD...