Rife with action sequences, historical content, and daring endeavors, War Dogs does not disappoint. Looking past the sometimes overt sexual overtones, the viewer finds energized characters pursing a novel plot: abetting, and occasionally duping, war-engrossed government entities. Todd Phillips (The Hangover, The Hangover Part II) directs a star-studded cast in one of the summer’s most highly anticipated movies. The hilarious action film lives up to expectations: it highlights actors’ talents, stays loyal to the actual events of the time period, and maintains a clear and original plotline.
Based on a true story, the movie follows 22-year-old David Packouz (Miles Teller) as he joins his childhood best friend Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill) in a new business venture and the two become international arms dealers, or “war dogs,” starting a company that facilitates the sale of massive amounts of military equipment to the government. In the wise words of Diveroli, “it is our chance to do business with the people the U.S. government can’t do business with.”
Laden with jokes and expletives – “We drove through the triangle of death?? F*ck yeah motherf*ckers!” – the film fits securely into the category of pseudo-action films, movies that pursue some end mission or greater goal (usually in some conflict with the law) but sprinkle laugh-out-loud moments among high-stakes chase scenes. Think along the lines of the Iron Man saga.
As the movie progresses, Jonah Hill really begins to embody pathological liar Diveroli. Though some decisions are easy to foresee based on tone and camera angle (i. (https://treehouselodge.com) e. a lingering zoom on Packouz’s unofficiated business contract; pans following Diveroli’s gaze during his fib-ridden calls to “coworkers” abroad), Hill does much to “be whoever someone needed him to be” (as Packouz says), building each of his relationships on a foundation of lies that ultimately crumbles, leading to the major climactic events of the film. Miles Teller realistically portrays both the stress and the glee of a young neophyte arms dealer when coping with both the exceptional highs (profit) and soul-crushing lows (life-threatening changes to plan) of the job. In a subtle moment early in the film, the real David Packouz makes a cameo as a singer in a retirement home where (character) Packouz is pursuing a poorly conceived business venture before linking up with Diveroli.
My chief complaint is Bradley Cooper’s lack of screen time. In his role as arms dealer extraordinaire, he did a fair amount of plot driving but had few lines and little personal impact overall. His character was intriguing and mysterious, and Cooper executed it successfully – his sass was apparent and his swagger almost overwhelming. But the movie was not helped by relegating such a great star to such a peripheral role. As producer, he was likely on set during a lot of the filming. What was he doing? I would have liked a small live feed of Cooper’s actions during the entirety of the film, preferably in the bottom left corner of the screen.
The relationship between Packouz and Iz (Ana de Armas, soon to be featured in Hands of Stone and Blade Runner 2) is one running weak point: it is overdramatized, and Iz’s character remains undeveloped. Of course she gets pregnant. Of course she gets tired of Packouz’s lies. Of course she leaves. Of course she comes back. Her thoughts on the war are never flushed out. Briefly mentioning her antiwar sentiments gives Packouz a motive for hiding the arms trading from her and gives filmmakers an excuse for leaving her out of most major plot points. The absence of an empowered female lead in action films is sometimes unavoidable; the presence of a clingy, passive female significant other is not.
Overall, War Dogs is an engaging film that makes relatable both the far-stretched international travel aspects of the duo’s job and the deep-seated internal conflict regarding war experienced by young people. I laughed, I cringed, I got a contact high from “that really strong stuff” the duo smoked before meeting with government officials in Illinois. It’s a blunt, engaging film with very little downtime and copious action sequences. The film demonstrates the potential for a comical take on a heavy issue, and the audience is wiser for it, walking away with both entertainment and new information.
