War Dogs Review
Based on the true story of Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz, War Dogs is a gunrunning extravaganza about two childhood friends who team up on a dangerous business venture. Set during the Iraq War, the film exposes numerous flaws in the U.S. armament process as the duo exploit a resource that allows them to submit bids on military contracts alongside big businesses. After getting their hands on a weapons deal worth $300 million, the two put their lives on the line as they hunt for the appropriate materials needed for their contract.
Filmmaker Todd Phillips has definitely shown a taste for the bromance movie over the years and he’s forged a career making on-the-road buddy comedies with a unique twist. Although War Dogs undoubtedly stays within the confines of his universe with a pair of gunrunners as protagonists, it’s really a film about a crack in a flawed system and one that doesn’t take itself too seriously as it celebrates the many victories and losses of the real life entrepreneurs.
The film features a rather generic time and place soundtrack with the standard crooner score in Vegas and a Christmassy jingle beat to mark the winter season. The rest of the music feels worn-out the second it kicks into gear but it’s a symptom of a particular breed of easy-watching cinema that clicks with the flow of the entire narrative, as well as a particular tone that most expect from a biographic war film with a comedy twist.
War Dogs never punches above its weight as Phillips clearly has no intention of turning Diveroli and Packouz’s story into something as polished and complex as The Big Short or The Wolf of Wall Street. It’s better seen as this decade’s Lord of War as well as a rather amusing excuse for Jonah Hill to bounce his usual jokes off Miles Teller who seems to be able to take it.
Jonah Hill shows us that he really can shift his weight at the drop of a hat, although his bloated appearance in the movie seems to fit rather well with his interpretation of a Scarface-obsessed loser who will do anything to validate his manhood. It mostly works in this somewhat fictitious interpretation of the story, although I have my doubts that it was quite this thrilling in real life. Hollywood edits can work wonders on a geeky story and there’s always a sense that these guys weren’t even half as cool as their on-screen counterparts.
War is never sweet and this movie is mildly tasteful as well with a score of 6 our of 10.
