War, Inc. | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Joshua Seftel |
Written by | |
Produced by |
|
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Zoran Popovic |
Edited by | Michael Berenbaum |
Music by | David Robbins |
Distributed by | First Look Studios |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $10 million [1] |
Box office | $1,296,184 [1] [2] |
War, Inc. is a 2008 American political action comedy film directed by Joshua Seftel and starring John Cusack and Hilary Duff. Cusack also co-wrote and produced the film.
The film opens in a bar in Nunavut when hitman Brand Hauser shoots and kills three men at the bar. He takes pictures of the men with his phone, sends the pictures, and then throws the phone into a burning garbage can.
Hauser is then seen on a plane getting directions and life advice from the on-board navigation system, Jerry. He turns on his screen to receive a video call from the former Vice President who gives him his next mission: to terminate Omar Sharif, the CEO of the oil company Ugigas in Ugigistan. He tells Hauser that he will be working under the Viceroy, whose identity is still being withheld until further notice. He also tells Hauser that his cover will be a trade show host, working with Tamerlane, a huge corporation that specializes in advertising. He must produce a trade show and a gala wedding as a finale, and still manage to kill Omar Sharif before he makes his plane back to Ugigistan.
He is taken by a car to the safe Emerald City within the fictional war-torn desert country of Turaqistan. In the Tamerlane building, he meets Marsha, his assistant for the mission. Once inside the building, he notices a reporter, Natalie Hegalhuzen attempting unsuccessfully to get inside the Tamerlane building. Natalie attempts to find out why she can't get into Tamerlane, and after asking him several questions, is rushed out of the room by Hauser who doesn't want to reveal any personal details about himself. He does arrange for her to have drinks with him which she accepts. Hauser visits the Viceroy in a secret location hidden in a Popeyes restaurant, who tells him what he needs to do. The Viceroy (who cannot be seen, but only heard with an altered voice) informs Hauser that the grand finale of the Trade Show he's supposed to prepare will be a wedding for Yonica Babyyeah, an oversexed, Central Asian pop star. He meets briefly with her and her fiancé, Ooq-Mi-Fay.
Later, Natalie meets Hauser at a restaurant where he gives her an all-access pass to the Trade Show. She arrives at the rehearsal and is greeted by Hauser and Marsha, who quickly go to watch Yonica's rehearsal. Her oversexed appearance and slight attraction for Hauser make him throw up on Natalie's coat and he walks out. After talking to Jerry in his car, he drinks some hot sauce and then has a flashback. He sees himself telling his fellow hitman Walken that he is tired of killing and wants to quit. He and Walken engage in a brief struggle in which he shoots Walken and leaves him for dead in the back of a garbage truck.
After receiving a delivery from a dry-cleaner in Germany, Hauser returns Natalie's now-clean coat to her at her hotel. He asks her out for coffee and confesses his habit of drinking hot sauce when he's nervous. She then confesses that she doesn't despise him at all, and the two build up a small friendship. He is later visited by Yonica in his office. She tries to seduce him, but he rebuffs her. He later sees her when he is in a restaurant with Sharif and Natalie. Hauser takes Natalie home, where she kisses him. Embarrassed, she quickly rushes out of the car. She sees him the next day and asks for a pass out of the Emerald City. He gives her a card that he received earlier by videomakers who are big in the Arts Community, and might give her a good lead. Hours later, he visits Yonica and listens to her sing a beautiful ballad; from here on out, he develops a paternal affection for her.
Meanwhile, Natalie buys the cover for a pornographic video that the videomakers were going to shoot on Yonica's wedding night, and leaks it to the American press. After a confrontation with Ooq-Mi-Fay (who was involved in the making of this video), Hauser decides that the only way to continue with the wedding peacefully is to blame everything on Ooq-Mi-Fay's friend Bhodi Bhundhang. Bhodi hunts him down and tries to kill him in a big house that Yonica is supposed to do an interview in. There, Hauser reveals his past to Natalie and Yonica, and how his wife was killed and his daughter was kidnapped. He is interrupted when he hears a gun and rushes to another room, where he is forced to fight Bhodi. He kills Bhodi in front of Natalie and Yonica, who flee the house, horrified. They rush off into a cab, where Yonica asks Natalie to be her bridesmaid; Natalie accepts. Six hours before the wedding, Hauser receives a ransom video from what appears to be a gang of terrorists, who have taken Natalie hostage. Hauser travels to a nearby city named Fallaf, saves Natalie, and makes it to Room 1101, where he had planned to meet and kill Sharif. Hauser has a change of heart and lets Sharif live, and in return is informed "the ultimate chicken-hawk is nearby". Realizing what this means Hauser goes to the Viceroy's secret location, and breaks down the glass to reveal the man behind the screen. The Viceroy is actually Walken — the man who killed Hauser's wife and kidnapped his daughter.
Hauser asks Walken what he did with his daughter, and finds out that Yonica was actually his daughter all along. He rushes to tell Yonica at the wedding, and arrives there right before Walken destroys the building, accidentally killing himself in the process. Fortunately, Hauser, Natalie, and Yonica survive, and rush off to a plane that Yonica and Ooq-Mi-Fay were supposed to fly off in. Once they are airborne, and have presumably escaped, we see a trailing missile about to strike the aircraft. The Vice President reveals his next plan to attack neighboring Ugigistan, blaming them for the bombing of the Emerald city, and terrorist incidents in Turaqistan.
War, Inc. is thought to be an informal sequel to the 1997 film Grosse Pointe Blank . Both films are similar in style and theme, and both films star John Cusack as an assassin and Joan Cusack as his assistant, with Dan Aykroyd in a supporting role. In an interview, Joan Cusack said, "I think, in a way, [War, Inc.] was a Grosse Pointe Blank 2." [3] John Cusack described it as a "spiritual cousin to Grosse Pointe Blank". [4]
John Cusack co-wrote and produced the film, as well as starring in the lead role as Brand Hauser. A working title of the film was Brand Hauser: Stuff Happens. The story is partly inspired by Naomi Klein's Harper's Magazine article "Baghdad Year Zero". [4] [5]
War, Inc. was filmed in Bulgaria beginning in late October 2006.[ citation needed ]
War, Inc. received generally negative reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 30% based on 80 reviews, with the consensus that the film "attempts to satirize the military industrial complex, but more often than not it misses its target". [6] Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 37 based on 21 reviews. [7]
Roger Ebert gave the film two stars out of four, describing the film as a "brave and ambitious but chaotic attempt at political satire". He praises Cusack for bravery and the determination to make a film that is uncompromising and sets out to make a statement, but concedes he wanted to like the film more than he could. [8] Philip Marchand of the Toronto Star is critical of the crude satire of the film, unimpressed by Dan Aykroyd as a Dick Cheney-like figure we see delivering a televised rant while sitting on the toilet. He judges the film to be more about resurrecting Cusack's role as a hitman from Grosse Pointe Blank . He goes on to describe it as fast-paced, full of shooting, but ultimately "as corrupt as the politics it attempts to satirize". [9] Reviewer Reyhan Harmanci complained that the film tried so hard to be clever but treated the viewer like an idiot. [10]
The film earned a Razzie Award nomination for Ben Kingsley as Worst Supporting Actor.
War, Inc. opened on an extremely limited release in only two theaters across the United States on May 23, 2008. It grossed an estimated $36,600 in those two theaters during its opening weekend. [11] The film went on to open in a further 30 theaters across the United States. [12] It was second in largest per theater gross behind Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull . It closed on August 7, 2008, without a wide release, grossing only $580,862 domestically in fewer than 40 theaters across the United States and Canada. [2]
War, Inc. was planned to have a fast DVD release date of July 1, [12] but was delayed three months to maximize the impact of the theatrical release. [13] The film was released later on DVD on October 14, 2008 in the US and acquired $883,364 in the opening weekend, selling 60,534 DVD units. [14]
Léon: The Professional is a 1994 English-language French action-thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson. It stars Jean Reno and Gary Oldman, and features the film debut of Natalie Portman. The plot centers on Léon (Reno), a professional hitman who reluctantly takes in twelve-year-old Mathilda Lando (Portman) after her family is murdered by corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration agent Norman Stansfield (Oldman). Léon and Mathilda form an unusual relationship, as she becomes his protégée and learns the hitman's trade. The film was released in France by Gaumont and internationally through Gaumont Buena Vista International on 14 September 1994 and received mostly positive reviews from critics.
Daniel Edward Aykroyd is a Canadian and American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer.
High Fidelity is a 2000 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears, starring John Cusack, Jack Black, and Iben Hjejle. The film is based on the 1995 British novel of the same name by Nick Hornby, with the setting moved from London to Chicago and the protagonist's name changed. Hornby expressed surprise at how faithful the adaptation was, saying "at times, it appears to be a film in which John Cusack reads my book."
Christopher Walken is an American actor. He has earned an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards. His films have grossed more than $1.6 billion in the United States alone. In 2003, he was voted Number 34 in Channel 4's countdown of the 100 greatest movie stars of all time.
Joan Mary Cusack is an American actress and comedian. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the comedy-drama Working Girl (1988) and the romantic comedy In & Out (1997). Her other starring roles include those in Toys (1992), Addams Family Values (1993), Nine Months (1995), Cradle Will Rock (1999), Where the Heart Is (2000), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) and Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008). She has also provided the voice of Jessie in the Toy Story franchise (1999–present), for which she won an Annie Award, and Abby Mallard in Chicken Little (2005).
John Paul Cusack is an American actor. Cusack began acting in films during the 1980s, starring in coming-of-age dramedies such as Sixteen Candles (1984), Better Off Dead (1985), The Sure Thing (1985), Stand by Me (1986), and Say Anything... (1989). In the 1990s, he then started appearing in independent films and had leading men roles in Bullets Over Broadway (1994), Con Air (1997), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Anastasia (1997), The Thin Red Line (1998), Being John Malkovich (1999), High Fidelity (2000), America's Sweethearts (2001), Max (2002), and Runaway Jury (2003).
The Grosse Pointe Yacht Club (GPYC) is a private yacht club located on the shore of Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan. The club is a member of the Detroit Regional Yacht-racing Association (DRYA). The clubhouse is prominently visible and a well-known landmark along the shoreline of the lake north of Detroit.
Grosse Pointe Blank is a 1997 American black comedy film directed by George Armitage from a screenplay by Tom Jankiewicz, D. V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink and John Cusack. It stars Cusack, Minnie Driver, Alan Arkin and Dan Aykroyd and follows the story of assassin Martin Q. Blank (Cusack), who returns to his hometown of Grosse Pointe, Michigan to attend a high school reunion. The film's score was composed by Joe Strummer, former member of the punk rock band the Clash; the film's soundtrack contains a number of popular and alternative punk rock, ska and new wave songs.
Jeremy Samuel Piven is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Ari Gold in the comedy series Entourage, for which he won a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Emmy Awards. He also starred in the British period drama Mr Selfridge, which tells the story of the man who created the English department store Selfridges, and portrayed Spence Kovak on Ellen DeGeneres's sitcom Ellen.
"Blister in the Sun" is a song by American rock band Violent Femmes, originally released on their 1983 self-titled debut album. It was later released as a promo single in 1997 after its inclusion in the film Grosse Pointe Blank. A live promo single was released in 1999 in promotion of the live album Viva Wisconsin.
Point blank is a close range for a ballistics shot.
Ann Cusack is an American actress and singer. She had roles in Multiplicity (1996), A League of Their Own (1992), and The Informant! (2009). Additionally, she has made guest appearances in a number of television series, including Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, One Tree Hill, Charmed, Ghost Whisperer, The Unit, Boston Legal, Bones, Frasier, Ally McBeal, Criminal Minds, Private Practice, Fargo, Better Call Saul, The Boys, and The Good Doctor.
Alfredo Santos is an American actor and former model. Born in New York City, Santos studied Sciences at Hunter College. He is best known for playing the character of Johnny Bishop in the WB TV series Grosse Pointe.
Lyubomir Neikov is a Bulgarian comedian and actor. He is known for his work on television and in theatre. He graduated from the Technical School of electrical engineering and later he graduated from NATFIZ in 1998, specializing in Doll Acting. In 1998 he started working on Slavi's Show, where he was part of "The Actor Trio" together with Krasi Radkov and Viktor Kalev. He portrayed many different characters on the show, including The MC Pharaoh and Bate Boiko. In 2006 he quit the show and the trio disintegrated. In 2007 he started his own show named "Komitsite" (Bulgarian:"Комиците") with the famous Bulgarian actors Hristo Garbov, Chrastio Lafazanov and Ruslan Maynov. This show is in competition with Slavi's Show - the same show where Neykov worked before.
Steve Pink is an American actor, director and writer. He is the director of the comedy films Accepted and Hot Tub Time Machine, and the co-writer of the films Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity.
George Brendan Armitage is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed the films Miami Blues (1990) and Grosse Pointe Blank (1997). He worked frequently with Roger Corman.
Avenging Angel is a 2007 American TV Western film directed by David S. Cass Sr. It originally aired on Hallmark Channel on July 7, 2007, as part of the network's "Western Month". It was filmed at Simi Valley, California, Sable Ranch in Santa Clarita, California as well as Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park in Agua Dulce, California.
"Go!" is a song by English post-punk band Tones on Tail.
Thomas Anthony Jankiewicz was an American screenwriter. Jankiewicz was best known for penning the 1997 film Grosse Pointe Blank, starring John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Alan Arkin, and Dan Aykroyd. Grosse Pointe Blank tells the story of an assassin, played by John Cusack, who returns to his hometown for his 10-year high school reunion.
War, Inc, a "spiritual cousin to Grosse Pointe Blank", and partly inspired by Naomi Klein's article "Baghdad Year Zero."