Wednesday evening I attended an early screening of War Dogs with no idea what to expect seeing as the film was marketed as a crime drama based on a true story and came from the director of The Hangover, Todd Phillips. Would it be serious or would it be hilarious? I had no idea and now that I've seen it, I can shed some light for those apprehensive to checking it out.
'War Dogs' Review
War Dogs tells the real life story of a pair of friends, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who became arms dealers, bidding on smaller military contracts for a large profit margin. War Dogs wasn't as lighthearted as I expected judging on the marketing material that made War Dogs appear as though it would take the true story concept and show the outrageous things these arms dealers would get themselves into and it delivers on that promise, to an extent.
Todd Phillips brilliantly submerges the viewer into an uneasy state the further these arm dealers get into these larger government contracts. I found myself more and more engrossed with the film as the running time wore on as the protagonists actions and morality became increasingly more questionable. This was in large part to Phillip's exceptional direction and the incredible screenplay penned by Phillips and co-writers, Stephen Chin and Jason Smilovic. The writers expertly explain the logistics of complex military contracts and the greedy perspective of actual "war dogs", emphasizing that they see war as a prime opportunity to make profit.
As for the performances, Miles Teller makes for a fascinating entry point into the film, David Packouz is the more relatable of the two leads. As he gets nearer and nearer to the grungy side of arms dealing, the audience becomes more anxious and I feel that Teller's performance did a great deal to channel these feelings. His character lends voiceover narration somewhat reminiscent of that to be found in The Big Short or The Wolf Of Wall Street and War Dogs is similar in nature to both films.
However, Jonah Hill steals the show bringing a complex shifty demeanor to Efraim Diveroli that only makes his character more and more intriguing as the events proceeded. Diveroli is edgy, sarcastic, and only a short fuse away from blowing up and Hill brilliantly captures that characterization. His chemistry opposite Teller is virtually unmatched as they have electric charisma onscreen together and have some tense scene that will leave you on the edge of your seat as you worry for their safety despite their questionable decisions.
Bradley Cooper also gets a great supporting role as a shady middleman and is terrific in the capacity used. Don't expect too much screen time from him though as the nature of the role means he's quite elusive.
While War Dogs wasn't quite what I was hoping for it to be, I can say I was pleased with the end result and that my reflection upon the film has only made it more engaging. War Dogs features two remarkable leads, a thrilling unbelievable story, and precise direction making for one of the summer's biggest surprises as the summer blockbuster season draws to a close.
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