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 Review by: M. Enois Duarte
John Cusack has always been a surprisingly fun actor to watch. Since his minor, yet really funny, appearance as Bryce in Sixteen Candles, his comedic timing was obvious and used to perfection in his other teen comedies, Better Off Dead and Say Anything. Later into his career, he was an actor who carefully chose his roles and willing to take chances as he did with Being John Malkovich and Max. I’m not simply trying to spout my knowledge of Cusack’s career, here. The point is that despite my affinity for Cusack, there are times when his participation in certain films appear misguided and bemusing.
War, Inc. is one such film, aspiring to be the next political satire the likes of Dr. Strangelove or Wag the Dog, but fails so miserably with its obvious political jabs that it’s equally as irritating and embarrassing as watching George W. tell a knock-knock joke at a Mensa convention. Revisiting the same burned-out assassin of Grosse Pointe Blank, Cusack’s Brand Hauser is hired by the Vice President (Dan Aykroyd) to assassinate the competition in war-torn Turaqistan, the oil minister Omar Sharif (Lubomir Neikov). Under the guise of a Trade Show director working for the Tamerlane Corporation, Brand works with public relations adviser Marsha Dillon (Joan Cusack) to solidify the career of Britney Spears-wannabe Yonica Babyyeah (Hilary Duff) to international superstardom. All the while being sidetracked when trying to win over liberal field reporter Natalie Hegalhuzen (Marisa Tomei) and dealing with flashbacks of his former CIA mentor, Walken (Ben Kingsley).
If it’s not yet apparent, the jokes range from Aykroyd looking like Dick Cheney sitting on his porcelain throne to young Middle Eastern men imitating gangsta rap in the styling of Kevin Federline. Ridiculous names meant to sound Middle Eastern are also thrown in for good measure (Ooq-Mi-Fay Taqnufmini and Bhodi Bhundhang). Then there are times when the jokes are too difficult to grasp, as in the Viceroy giving orders from behind a television screen with five-second interval flashes of American pop icons. I’m sure this is meant to be significant, but it remains as equally obscure as Hauser’s drinking problem with hot sauce. So busy is the film in trying to be satirical than it quickly forgets to be funny or meaningful. Granted, the film has its moments of pulling off a chuckle here and there, but it fails at appearing genuine or ingenious with its political revelry. When the Vice President is seen again sitting in front of a red banner with what appears to be a large white cross similar to the Knights Templar (it’s actually the upper-case letter of “T” signifying Tamerlane, but the camera is positioned just right to make us think otherwise) or when we hear that the prosthetic legs used by the chorus line dancers are actually made from heavy artillery weapons, we see the glimpse of possibility in the little film that could.
Cusack co-produced and co-wrote this farce full of uncompromised potential and yet entertainingly whimsical as it stands. If scenes with tanks advertising the Golden Palace and a secret military base hidden beneath a Popeye’s Chicken are worth anything, it is to the credit of the cast and crew for at least trying. The U.S.’s involvement in the Middle East is enough of an unfocused mess and an absurd joke, that this film at least warrants one viewing on a lazy Saturday afternoon.
Movie Score: 6/10
Presentation
Unfortunately, the 1080p VC-1 transfer does little to improve the film. Retaining its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, there is much to see in the way of video artifacts and lack of detail and depth. The majority of the film is very two-dimensional and colors are mostly washed-out. Contrast can at times run a little hot, while blacks tend to stay on the low end of the grayscale, looking as if the film reel was run through the washer a few too many times. Film grain wavers between light to practically non-existent; sometimes even at the point of looking like chroma noise in scenes with blue or red backgrounds. Detail can appear at the level of standard definition, but it may be an artistic choice rather than a fault of the transfer, seeing as how the entire film was shot with a soft focus. Despite these minor drawbacks, the Blu-ray edition of War, Inc. is definitely superior to its DVD counterpart.
When compared to the DTS track, the Dolby TrueHD track steals the show. The dialogue is well maintained amongst the action-packed scenes of the third act. Surround use is plentiful and dynamic range can be convincing and immersive at times. The LFE channel is handled well with some realistic depth when appropriate, but the sound design does have some limits. While a few scenes can be fun and demo worthy, the sound field can also be a bit inconsistent and lack some that immersive quality one would expect from a lossless track. Of course, this could also be my own personal bias coming into play. But I enjoy a sound design which has me fully engrossed in the environment of the narrative. No matter though, this track has enough surround sound use to satisfy any viewer.
Presentation Score: 7/10
Extras
To my surprise and dismay, fans are not given a look at the making of the film or deleted scenes, let alone an audio commentary.
Extras Score: 1/10
In conclusion
So the film is not of similar stature and quality as some of the great political satires. But then again, what film can really make a joke of the U.S.'s involvement in the Middle East, when our current administration has done already done for Hollywood. The film deserves at least a rental for one of those when you're sitting at home with nothing else to think about. Despite the low-expectations of the picture quality and the lack of supplements, at least the audio quality is fun.
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