Directed by Todd Phillips
Written by Stephen Chin & Todd Phillips & Jason Smilovic (screenplay), based on the Rolling Stone article “Arms and the Dudes” by Guy Lawson
Cast: Miles Teller, Jonah Hill, Ana de Armas, Kevin Pollak, Bradley Cooper, Shaun Toub, JB Blanc, Gabriel Spahiu, Patrick St. Esprit, Wallace Langham, Eddie Jemison, Julian Sergi, Barry Livingston, David Packouz (cameo)
Soundtrack: Cliff Martinez
After a solid decade-and-a-half making generally successful funny-type movies (including Old School and The Hangover Trilogy), it seems that writer/director Todd Phillips is finally branching out the way he wants to.
It’s only fair, given that his comedic contemporary Adam McKay (Anchorman, Step Brothers) won an Oscar for last year’s The Big Short, but compared to that film, War Dogs is less comedic, less concise, and less explicit about what it’s commenting on, though that’s not to say it isn’t a good movie in its own right.
Based on the crazy true story, as outlined in a Rolling Stone article, War Dogs is about David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli (Miles Teller and Jonah Hill), a couple of twenty-something stoners who go from comparatively small-time arms dealers to being on the business end of a $300 million Department of Defense contract.
The premise alone is enough to keep you going for the runtime, but there are problems with the story structure and pacing. The whole movie is essentially told in two extended acts and then a quick wrap up. In other words, what should have been a full third act is breezed over in about five to ten minutes, which is frustrating. Also, given that the movie is very much a going-into-business story, it might have been nice to see the machinations of our boys closing on more than just a couple of significant deals.
However, War Dogs does absolutely shine in the performance department, because everyone is believable. Maybe Miles Teller doesn’t do anything special, but he puts in a good shift, and definitely works well as an audience surrogate type of protagonist.
As for Jonah Hill, I’m not afraid to say that this is the finest performance of his career so far (at least as far as I know). The evolution of how you feel about his character as the movie progresses is rather incredible, and leads me to believe that he could pull off a dramatic lead role in the future if he so desires. Perhaps if the movie was released a bit closer to awards season, he’d pick up a nomination or two, but I have a feeling he’ll be overshadowed by the time we get there.
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention Bradley Cooper, who, despite only appearing in a few scenes, makes quite an impression.
On the whole, I’d say that War Dogs is worth seeing, just don’t expect another Wolf of Wall Street or Big Short; it’s a step down from either of those, but the story is interesting enough and the acting is strong enough to help get your money’s worth, not to mention some pretty solid laughs along the way.
Rating: ★★★½