Review of War, Inc. (2008) by Graham P — 29 Nov 2009

It is a fairly well agreed on constant that for a satire of any kind to be considered any good; it must be funny. When one looks at Dr Strangelove, for example, we see a pitch black comedy with some of the most outrageous and hilarious performances Peter Sellers ever delivered. I had fairly high hopes for War, Inc; as I entertained the notion that it share a similar style to Grosse Point Blank - a film that I rather enjoyed. Certainly John Cusack seemed to be reprising the laid-back hit man role that he suited so well in that movie, and Dan Akroyd was also in it. Unfortunately, what War, Inc. did not share with that movie was any of it's style, charm and most importantly humour.

I'm not sure what went wrong, but it seems that the makers of this film took it upon themselves to create one hell of a disjointed mess. The screenplay is dreadful and the attempts at lampooning private military contractors falls flat due to an utter lack of wit or subtlety in the attempt. Every situation is contrived and every joke is rubbed in your face until what small trace of humour might have existed has long worn away. All that remains is confusion and a slightly sick feeling in the pit of your stomach that you are watching a worse film comedy than Stephen Spielberg's 1941. Avoid this dross...