John Cusack's War: The Actor Battles to Un-embed Hollywood With His New Film, War, Inc.
Back in 1989, in his smash hit Say Anything, John Cusack famously stood with a boom box above his head outside the home of the woman he loved blasting Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes." With his latest films on the Iraq war, Cusack is standing outside Hollywood with a TV above his head broadcasting his political movies calling on the public to wake up and "Do Something."
John Cusack began working on his new film War, Inc., which premieres in LA and New York May 23, about a year into the US occupation of Iraq. From the moment US tanks rolled into Baghdad, Cusack was a voracious consumer of news about the war. He took it deadly seriously, regularly calling independent journalists and asking them questions as he sought as much independent information as he could. Watching the insanity of the erection of the Green Zone and the advent of the era of McWar, complete with tens of thousands of "private contractors," Cusack set out to use the medium of film to unveil the madness. He wanted to do on the big screen what independent reporters like Naomi Klein, Nir Rosen and Dahr Jamail did in print. Over these years of war and occupation, Cusack has become one of the most insightful commentators on a far too seldom discussed aspect of the occupation: the corporate dominance of the US war machine.
Cusack is no parachute humanitarian. While he continues to do the Hollywood thing with big budget movies, he is simultaneously a fierce un-embedded actor/filmmaker who has been at the center of two of the best films to date dealing with the madness of the Iraq war. Without big money sponsors and the backing of powerful production companies, Cusack has spent a lot of his own money on these projects.
Cusack's film Grace is Gone, was one of the most under-rated and under-viewed movies of 2007. Cusack should have been seriously considered for an Oscar for his portrayal of Stanley Philipps, a man whose wife dies while deployed as a soldier in Iraq. The film centers on Philipps's painful inability to explain to his two young daughters (powerfully played by two amateur actors, Shélan O'Keefe and Gracie Bednarczyk) their mother's death. Instead of telling his daughters the terrible news, he embarks on a surreal road trip to a theme park with the girls as he fights for his own sanity and grapples with his own support for the war that has just taken the life of his wife. The film is a jolting picture of a man caught in the free fall of a nervous breakdown and the ricochet impact of the death of soldiers in the war. It was an outright shame that Grace is Gone did not get wide distribution. I was at a screening of the film in New York and there were not many dry eyes at the movie's conclusion.
Perhaps the film's lack of commercial success was due to the so-called "Iraq movie fatigue" that took hold in Hollywood a couple of years ago. But Grace is Gone is not simply an "Iraq movie" or a "war movie." It isn't even really an "anti-war" movie. It is a haunting and moving film that cuts across political lines to tell the story of the suffering and shattering of so many US military families with loved ones deployed in Iraq. Had it received the distribution it deserved, Grace is Gone would have resonated strongly with both supporters and opponents of the war, a rare accomplishment.
War, Inc. is a radically different kind of movie. In fact, it really defies genre. It is sort of like this generation's Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange and The Wizard of Oz mixed together with the un-embedded reporting of Naomi Klein, spiced up with a dash of South Park. It is a powerful, visionary response to the cheerleading culture of the corporate media and a pliant Hollywood afraid of its own shadow.
On the surface, War, Inc. appears to be a spoof of the corporatization of the occupation of Iraq. Cusack plays a hit man, named Hauser, deployed to Turaqistan with the mission of killing a Middle Eastern oil baron (named Omar Sharif). Hauser's employer is a secretive for-profit military corporation run by the former US vice president, played by Dan Aykroyd. We first meet Aykroyd's character as he sits, pants down, on a toilet seat during a closed-circuit satellite videoconference call to give Hauser his mission. Hauser arrives in the Turaqi capital and heads for the "Emerald City" (read: the Green Zone), where his cover is director of a trade show for the military corporation, Tamerlane, which is basically running the Turaqi occupation. Hauser soon falls for a progressive journalist, played by Marisa Tomei, who is in Turaqistan to investigate Tamerlane, and what follows is an insane ride through Cusack's interpretation of the radical corporatization of war.
Singer Hilary Duff gives a surprisingly fun performance as a pop star, Yonica Babyyeah, who performs a song in the war zone with the lyrics, "You say you want to invade me, baby/Enslave me, baby." As Duff delivers the song, she caresses a phallic gas nozzle decorated with diamonds while singing, "I want to blow you....up." Obviously Cusack and his co-writers, Mark Leyner and Jeremy Pikser (REDS/Bulworth), sought to tap into the extreme nature of the corporatized war and take it to another level, but anyone who thinks the premise behind War Inc. is "over-the-top" has not been paying attention to real life.
Cusack, Leyner and Pikser are not predicting the future, they are forcefully -- and with dark humor and wit -- branding the present for what it is: the Wal-Mart-ization of life (and death) represented in the new US model for waging war. With 630 corporations like Blackwater and Halliburton on the US government payroll in Iraq getting 40% of the more than $2 billion Washington spends every week on the occupation, Cusack's "futuristic" film is not far from the way things really are. A powerful, for-profit war corporation, run by the former US vice president "owning" the war zone; tanks with NASCAR-like sponsor logos speeding around the streets firing at will; "implanted journalists" watching the war in IMAX theaters in the heavily-fortified "Emerald City" to get "full spectrum sensory reality" while eating popcorn; a secretive "viceroy" running the show from behind a digital curtain are all part of Cusack's battlefield in the fictitious Turaqistan. But how far are they from the realities of the radically privatized corporate war machine Washington has unleashed on the world?
War Inc. is already an underground cult classic and will likely remain so for years to come. The film is not without its shortcomings -- at times it is confusing and drags -- but its faults are significantly overshadowed by its many strengths. It also accomplishes the difficult feat of being very entertaining and funny, while delivering a powerful punch of truth. War, Inc. is a movie that deserves a much wider viewing than the barons of the film industry are likely to give it. But by filling the theaters in the opening days, people can send a powerful message that there is -- and must be -- a market for films of conscience.
Visit the official website of War, Inc. or John Cusack's website to view trailers, get info on tickets for the premieres and to read more about the film.
Jeremy Scahill's New York Times best seller, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, is now available in substantially updated paperback form.
Follow Jeremy Scahill on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jeremyscahill
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Some interesting interviews including Diablo Cody regarding War Inc. on the My Space (and an ad for John McCain scrolling on the top)- http://www.myspace.com/johncusack
There was a review that said essentially the problem with War Inc. is that it is ironically too close to what is actually going on with the Corporate Military Industrial complex, w/ a satirical twist. It is sad to think that there are people getting paid much more than our brave men and women, especially the CEOs, board of directors, (politicians) of Blackwater, Halliburton, etc.. Particularly sad when you think of the wounded soldiers being denied disability claims or families who will never see their loved ones again.
I continued to be dismayed how people who support this war are not upset by the blood money. Have they become comfortably numb?
Looking forward to John's film, I've been a big fan of his for years; a very talented individual.
As far as a satirical piece like this one having any meaningful effect on today's population, Good Luck ! The Bush administration has kept average citizens isolated from this war by rejecting calls for shared participation by re-activation of the military draft. However, we had a military draft back in the sixties and the powers that be from both parties kept Vietnam going almost 10 years and killed over 50,000 Americans. So much for the voters being in control of their government and their destiny then and now !.
There is no freedom without sacrifice. The lazier, the more sheep like we become, the less freedom we will have.
Looking forward to seeing this flick. Also looking forward to seeing what limbaugh, hannity and o'reilly have to say about it. I'm sure they'll be orgasmic in their toxicity.
Don't forget Michael Medved. On second thought, let us.
Instead of an Iraq war funding bill that CREATES problems, why can’t we pass one that SOLVES problems?
Problems with the current Iraq war funding bill:
1.Weakens the economy by funding the war with deficit spending.
2. Discourages diligent cost/benefit analysis of the war by deferring its fiscal impact through use of deficit spending.
3. Enables continuation of the same failed policy in Iraq.
4. Denies the people a chance to debate this issue again in September.
A PROBLEM SOLVER war funding bill would:
1. Help mend the economy by ending deficit funding of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
2. Encourage more diligent cost/benefit analysis by eliminating deficit funding for the wars.
3. Dial down Iraq war funding to half of the requested amount to send a clear signal that we are not going to occupy Iraq indefinitely. Iraq is welcome to backfill the shortfall if they really want us to maintain the occupation.
4. Cover only current year war funding so that the people aren’t denied their chance to participate in the next war funding debate in September.
5. Include a self-funded version of the 21st Century GI Bill. They've earned it!!
6. Consider including a 65 MPH top speed limit on interstate highways as a measure that will reduce fuel demand, fuel prices, and fuel expenditures. Several airlines have already begun flying slower as a tactic to combat rising fuel costs.
http://www.congress.org Please share this with your representatives.
don't forget 'Max'
"Cusack should have been seriously considered for an Oscar for his portrayal of Stanley Philipps, a man whose wife dies while deployed as a soldier in Iraq. "
Considered for an Oscar? Are you kidding? It was a solid performnace. But an Oscar shoudl really be reserved for a performance that nobody else could have done and NOT for something that any number of actors could have pulled off IF they were given the chance.
It sounds very bold and innovative, and quite a bit different from all those pro-Iraq War movies Hollywood has been putting out. Mr. Cusack is quite the rebel to dare and buck the trend in Hollywood.
You don't have to scratch very far below the surface of the Hollywood production fronts supposedly funding this propoganda stream to find a pool of USA citizens' tax dollars contributed from the Beltway' black opts money buckets.
What is the "Beltway black opts money bucket"?
We don't get these movies in the little backwater town of Cleveland Ohio (snark) where a movie like this might make the biggest impact rather than the preaching-to-the-choir cities of NY and San Fran. Sometimes we get them at the lone 'art-house' theater on the east side. And plans are in the works for a west-side theater for 2010. But that doesn't help me now does it?
As a Drinking Liberally Chapter Leader for Cleveland and a west-sider, I have screened many movies the commercial theaters won't, mostly the stuff I can get through Brave New Films and other independent film sites. I'm approached all of the time and I screen as many films as I can.
The best I can do is 70 or 80 people at a time for a screening but I would be more than willing to screen War Inc. if it was made available to me. DL is not a 5013C, I get no money from national for our events. But if there was a way for me to buy the movie and screen it locally I would. If not, well then I guess the conversation this movie is meant to drive will be limited to the cities it's released in. Sell the movie online for the rest of us after the initial release and it will be seen by everyone who needs to see it. We'll make sure of that.
Just a thought.
Fantasy, possible:
Refurbish one of those old drive-in theaters. There was one on the Onondaga Res, Syracuse NY. You still see them.
I remember as a small kid in the 60's, half-asleep in the backseat, cruising the California highway in the dark, passing these wild huge pictures of people moving and talking and kissing in the dark. All the drive in movie screens along the way, facing the highway.
Fantasy, Your right. While it would get a lot of good publicity and get to the people that actually need to see it, those would be far too lowly things to do.
Loved your posts on McCain opposing equal pay.
Very good idea. Others would be doing the lesser film fest circuit and colleges with a Q/A from anyone from the film.
SEEN IT!!
Tribeca Film Festival, a few weeks back. Broke all records for a Tribeca movie premiere, we were told; 5 showings, all sold out.
This movie is the "Network" of political films. Tragedy that it's designed to open in NY and LA, and then burn to DVD. We had a Q-and-A with the director afterwards; as I told him then, the real impact would be in getting this thing into malls across the land. He responded that yeah, maybe they should just hype it as a "Hilary Duff movie", and see what happens!
Note: Hilary Duff should get an Academy Award for this. She basically nuked her entire "teen" career to go out on the risky limb of her character in this film, and she was great! We're talking real guts here, and according to Josh Seftel, she just won over everyone who took part in the production. He can't say enough about her.
Props again to Mr. Seftel, and to the enormously talented John Cusack, someone else I hope to have the privilege of meeting someday; go to his MySpace page. He seems like one amazingly thoughtful and insightful guy.
And if it's feasible for ya... go see "War, Inc."! Enjoy!
The posts from Kundera fascinate me. He cannot be serious, or perhaps the hospital where he lives gives him/her internet privileges.
No sane person still believes that stuff about McCarthy, do they? The guilt of Hiss and the Rosenbergs might be the case, but what of all the others he smeared? Does the Hollywood Blacklist pass Dundera's test?
Dalton Trumbo wrote the best anti-war book i ever read. Johnny Got His Gun. He wrote screen plays under another name because of that crap!
Kundera, unless you're a combat veteran and have been in the slaughter you'd best keep quiet when among those who have seen it up close.
Bush, Reagan, Cheney, etc. are taking innocent kids to their deaths.
Kundera just has his unbearable lightness of being. It seems permanent.
i remember about a year after the invasion, our fearless leaders were trying to put together an international trade show in baghdad. just hearing about the planning for it on the news was surreal, eg, the happy-talk of the oblivious vendors looking for new opportunities. then even the UN pulled out, and it became pretty obvious that iraq was too unstable to host a trade show. surreal indeed.
Kudos for Cusack. Buck the system, baby. Bring back the consciousness that has disappeared.
One can only hope.
I'm looking forward to seeing the movie, and my signed copy of Scahill's book is a prized possession.
I also realize that security contractors are but a small part of the problem.
The Pentagon Strangles Our Economy: Why the U.S. Has Gone Broke
http://www.alternet.org/story/83555/
Thank you, Jeremy for this post/review of two films which definitely deserve attention.
I've been a big fan of Cusack's since 'Say Anything' and his work speaks for itself. More than that, in times like these it is the artist who will slowly change the perceptions of many. When I was very young it was Dylan and other's' music that informed VietNam. The post-Nam movies gave texture and context to that experience.
War, Inc. sounds like something that will have similar impact not only for Iraq but the insanity of solving problems by sabre rattling and these senseless wars. We have only to look at the backing the MSM and the media corporations gave to invading Iraq without once questioning the sanity or reason of it.
Appreciate your reporting and your appearances on Bill Maher. You have given Blackwater its due and I hope to see more from you.
We need your voice and Cusack's added to the others who speak truth to remind us that we can turn things around by being present and watchful and not taken in.
Great review, Jeremy. I am one of those who has been following the underground effort on both myspace and facebook. I can't wait to see the film next week.
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