War, Inc. is a quirky little movie. It is a movie about war. It is a movie about identity. It is about corporate control and the commoditization of pretty much the entire world. And it is a satire.

The set-up goes something like this. Brand Hauser (John Cusack) is a hit man for the private company Tamerlane. Tamerlane pretty much runs the world. As a part of their world rule, they have been at the head of the first completely outsourced war in history. Now, they are spearheading the Americentered campaign to "revive" the country of Turaqistan they have just destroyed. To kick the festivities into high gear, they will be hosting a high profile American Trade show topped off by the wedding of Central Asian pop princess Yonica Babyyeah (Hilary Duff). Hauser is running the show. But of course, it is nothing more than a cover for his real job—to assassinate Omar Sharif (Lyubomir Neikov), the Oil Minister planning to build a pipeline through Turaqistan without outsourcing any of the work to Tamerlane. At Hauser's side is his second-in-command and agency contact, Marsha Dillon (Joan Cusack). And also along for the ride is Natalie Hegalhuzen (Marisa Tomei), the sexy left-wing reporter determined to expose the war for what it really is.

From beginning to end, the premise and the events that take place in War, Inc. are outrageous. But at the same time, they hit on some of the very real truths of the world in which we live. At the center of it all is the tie between war and commerce. Sure, it is hilarious to see tanks roll through rubble with just as many ads on them as a NASCAR racer. Journalists participating in a Universal Studios-like "implanted journalist" simulation of the war experience is just plain bizarre. And I have to say, I'm not even sure there are as many gift bags handed out at the Academy Awards as there are in this movie.

To put it simply, the war/relief effort in Turaqistan is a strange one. But if you stop to think about it, the question becomes: Are our real wars any less strange? Even though our tanks may not sport ads all over them, the amount of money that war gives to the companies that manufacture every tank, gun, and piece of weaponry on the battlefield is probably more than is brought in by even the most recognized car detail. Although we may not have amusement park-style rides to give us all a simulated war experience, last year's box office certainly saw its share of war movies. And while Boeing and Lockheed Martin may not hand out gift bags at the front lines, in one way or another, Americana is being packaged, sealed, and sent to so many places outside our borders, it's hard to keep track.

The keyword here is business. War creates it. War increases it. And as all of us buy into every product, company, or piece of entertainment even remotely connected to war, it just keeps selling and selling and selling.

From the war to the various characters in the story continues the exploration of a reality ruled by what sells and what pays, the most prominent example being Yonica Babyyeah. Basically, she's Britney Spears meets teen porn star in the middle of a bomb ravaged desert. The first time she practices one of her songs, Hauser vomits. When she comes onto him later, it's all he can do to hold it in. We're talking hyper-sexualized, high hems, low cuts, and no shame. That is until Hauser catches Yonica in solitary moment.

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