A great movie, not to be taken seriously but very enjoyable. Jonah Hill and Miles Teller give outstanding performances as Efraim and David respectively. The amount of f bombs they use and their dynamic gazes bring a lot of humor to the film. The cinematography is a delight and the soundtrack is a perfect fit to the tone of the film.
The Story
Almost as amazing as the true story on which it’s based, War Dogs tells the tale of Miami Beach stoner arms dealer Efraim Diveroli and his sidekick David Packouz. The young duo’s exploits — which include their wildly successful bid to arm the U.S. military — were as outlandish as they are entertaining, and the film’s fun, fast-paced style is hard to resist.
Todd Phillips’ “Hangover” trilogy reeked of lowbrow bro humor, but with War Dogs the director appears to have turned a corner. He borrows some of the bravura of Martin Scorsese and David O Russell — whose movies, along with those of Steven Soderbergh and the Coen brothers, ushered in an era of cinematic excess — but brings to it a more casual mirthful next-generation voice.
The Plot
The likable Efraim, played by Jonah Hill, is a man of ambition who starts small and gets greedy. He enlists his high school friend David (Miles Teller), a licensed massage therapist, to help him peruse the tens of thousands of posted Army contract opportunities and select the ones most likely to yield a big payout. As their profits swell, they start to become involved with some very shady people.
They begin to make some very bad decisions, and their lifetime of breaking rules catches up with them in the end. But not before they’ve had a lot of fun along the way.
Review
This is a well-crafted, well-acted and highly entertaining movie that’s bound to be one of the biggest comedy hits of the summer. It’s fast-paced, the cast is solid and the writing is top-notch. The pelispedia film doesn’t always hit the mark though. There are some moments that seem a bit too forced and the character of David’s fiancee Iz (Ana de Armas) isn’t given much room to develop or create tension.
However, War Dogs is an exciting debut for Phillips and a smart, brash look at how it’s possible to turn illegal activities into lucrative enterprises. Especially when you’re as savvy and charming as the two leads in this movie. It may not be Oscar material, but it’s still a riot. 8.5/10.