War, Inc.

The would-be comic lampoonery, about a time when all wars are outsourced, cuts too close to the realities of America’s corporate-enabled occupation of Iraq to breathe with the dark humor that the filmmakers intend. John Cusack plays Hauser, a disaffected hit man sent by a former U.S. Vice President-turned-corporate-shill (played by Dan Aykroyd) to the fictional country of Turaqistan to assassinate an oil magnate known as Omar Sharif. Hauser’s cover as the organizer of a U.S. trade show that features state-of-the-art prosthetics is just enough of a distraction to seduce a lefty journalist named Natalie Hegalhuzen (Marisa Tomei). Hilary Duff injects the movie with a spunky quality as Middle East pop star Yonica Babyyeah, who develops a crush on Hauser in spite of her pending wedding to her bodyguard. There are some inspired touches of humor, as when Hauser knocks back shots of hot sauce before springing into action, or when he shoves a former boss into a garbage truck, but the comedy never gels.

Rated R, 110 mins. (C+)