War Inc.

It’s unfortunate that this dark, futuristic satire directed by Joshua Seftel isn’t better, because its indictment of U.S. imperialism and war profiteering and its illustration of Naomi Klein’s “shock doctrine” are so timely. John Cusack plays Brand Hauser, a troubled, hot-sauce-guzzling hit man hired to assassinate the CEO of a competitor to Tamerlane (read Halliburton), a private corporation headed by a Cheney-like former VP (Dan Aykroyd), which is running the war-ravaged country of Turaquistan (read Iraq, et al.). He crosses paths with Yonica Babyyeah (Hilary Duff), a sexy Central Asian teen pop star with a mysterious background, and pursues an attractive, idealistic left-wing journalist (Marisa Tomei). The satire is obvious, vulgar, cartoonish and too muddled to hit its mark, despite good intentions and appealing performances by Cusack and his sister, Joan, who plays his assistant. **