Based on a true story, War Dogs delivers
BY BRETT DAVIS, JR.
War Dogs is the newest film from director Todd Phillips, the mind behind The Hangover, a much-loved adult comedy. The premise is quite interesting, and is based on a true story. Efraim Diveroli, a shady arms dealer that sells guns to the U.S. government, reunites with his childhood friend David Packouz to create an even bigger empire. They bid on U.S. military contracts and sell them weapons, As the bids keep getting bigger, the risks are higher, and the people David and Efraim do business with get shadier.
Right off the bat, I loved the premise. It's unique and sounds like it will go somewhere. Another indicator that this might be a good action movie is the R rating. Too many gritty action movies these days dumb down the rating to PG-13 to rake in a bigger profit, and it only ends up hurting them in the end. Some film makers saw the success of Deadpool as a wake-up call to stop doing that.
So, did this movie actually deliver? To me, it did. This was exactly the summer movie I wanted. (It will be released on DVD in November).
War Dogs has one particularly interesting character, Efraim, played by Jonah Hill. At first I was afraid it was just going to be "Jonah Hill does stupid things, the movie" but I was wrong. Efraim was weird, eccentric, and his high-pitched, strained laugh was especially funny.
David, played by Miles Teller, who was stellar in both Whiplash and The Spectacular Now, did a very good job. Although his character isn't all that unique, you feel his frustrations and pain balancing his work and home life. Henry Girard, a shady arms dealer played by Bradley Cooper, is also an interesting and intimidating character. He is not in the film much, but when he is, it is entertaining.
The situations these two get themselves into are crazy, yet totally possible. I'm not 100% sure what parts of the film they exaggerated for entertainment, however it makes watching it all the more fun, trying to guess what might have actually happened.
At times the writing does get a bit cliche, and the drama between David and his wife drags the movie down, but it is still enjoyable and easy to look past these flaws. The cinematography is also well done, although the set design is nothing special. For anyone who enjoys movies like "The Wolf of Wall Street" "The Big Short" or "American Hustle" this film should be right up your alley. This certainly isn't a perfect movie, but for those looking for a unique action/drama story, with well-developed characters, and a satisfying climax, War Dogs is for you.
Right off the bat, I loved the premise. It's unique and sounds like it will go somewhere. Another indicator that this might be a good action movie is the R rating. Too many gritty action movies these days dumb down the rating to PG-13 to rake in a bigger profit, and it only ends up hurting them in the end. Some film makers saw the success of Deadpool as a wake-up call to stop doing that.
So, did this movie actually deliver? To me, it did. This was exactly the summer movie I wanted. (It will be released on DVD in November).
War Dogs has one particularly interesting character, Efraim, played by Jonah Hill. At first I was afraid it was just going to be "Jonah Hill does stupid things, the movie" but I was wrong. Efraim was weird, eccentric, and his high-pitched, strained laugh was especially funny.
David, played by Miles Teller, who was stellar in both Whiplash and The Spectacular Now, did a very good job. Although his character isn't all that unique, you feel his frustrations and pain balancing his work and home life. Henry Girard, a shady arms dealer played by Bradley Cooper, is also an interesting and intimidating character. He is not in the film much, but when he is, it is entertaining.
The situations these two get themselves into are crazy, yet totally possible. I'm not 100% sure what parts of the film they exaggerated for entertainment, however it makes watching it all the more fun, trying to guess what might have actually happened.
At times the writing does get a bit cliche, and the drama between David and his wife drags the movie down, but it is still enjoyable and easy to look past these flaws. The cinematography is also well done, although the set design is nothing special. For anyone who enjoys movies like "The Wolf of Wall Street" "The Big Short" or "American Hustle" this film should be right up your alley. This certainly isn't a perfect movie, but for those looking for a unique action/drama story, with well-developed characters, and a satisfying climax, War Dogs is for you.
