(Movie Review)
I really hate to be too hard on this movie, because I like socially conscious movies, and I wish Hollywood would make more of them.
Any idiot can write a movie script that simply connects a series of explosions. To do something with a political bite is a lot harder. And as such, these movies tend to fall on their face a lot more. But as with any other genre, the more they keep trying, the greater the possibility that someone will get it right one of these days. So hopefully they'll keep experimenting with these movies until they get it right. (Hopefully).
This movie is not at all subtle. From the opening prologue, to the speech at the end, this movie really hits you over the head with the fact that they are satirizing the Iraq War.
In fact, as we watched this movie my friend and I kept turning to each other nodding our heads, and saying, "Reaaal subtle." (You could almost make a drinking game out of this movie. Every time there not being in any way subtle, you'd have to take a shot. It would be a tough to make it to the end).
I think most of us absorbed in our high school literature classes the idea that the knife's blade of subtlety is always superior to banging someone over the head with a hammer. But I believe in this world there's room for both.
("A Modest Proposal", for example, may have been ironic, but it certainly wasn't subtle).
And when you have something like the Iraq War, sometimes there's not a lot of room for subtlety. A clear violation of international law, the public mislead into the war by lies, and a callous disregard for human life by the people who lead us into the war--what's left to be subtle about?
Because a movie like "War, Inc." wasn't afraid to call these things out on face value, I really enjoyed the first 15 minutes of it.
The problem is that the movie really only has about 15 minutes of good material. Once you get the joke, it just gets repeated over and over again.
Obviously the hope of the movies producers is that the story about the hitman, some of the action scenes, and the romantic comedy bit would carry the rest of the movie, but unfortunately they don't.
The comedy is mildly funny, but rarely got a real laugh out of me.
The plot is so predictable that it's embarrassing. I could see all the twists coming from a mile away.
(Actually, that's a lie. It did catch me by surprise, but only because I was thinking, "No, they'd never do that. That's way too obvious.")
What saves this movie is largely just the charisma of the lead actor John Cusak. As I've noted in other movie reviews before, he's one of my favorite actors. No one does dry humor like John Cusak, and he has plenty of opportunities to show off his deadpan wit and acting skills in this movie. The few times I did laugh out loud in this movie were all at these moments.
Not the best movie in the world, but it tried hard. It was fast paced enough that it kept my attention even when the jokes were falling flat.
Link of the Day
Noam Chomsky What is the WTO
and Tim Wise: When are Republican Leaders Going to Reject Talk Show Hosts Stoking White Racial Resentment
and Anti-Abortion Group Announces Drive To Outlaw Birth Control Pill in Florida:We always knew it would come to this. It's never really about abortion, it's about sex - and punishing the people who think they can act like sluts and get away with it instead of feeling God's wrath!
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