War Dogs Movie Review

Released: August 19th 2016 (United States)

Length: 114 Minutes

Certificate: 15

Director: Todd Phillips

Starring: Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Ana De Armas and Bradley Cooper

The trading of arms and weaponry is a considerably shady business in today’s world and the War Dogs arrives as the latest portrayal of the issue. It’s a seemingly over-the-top one sided film that ends up having a lot more to it under the surface if you look at the way it is presented.

War Dogs is loosely based on the Rolling Stone article “Arms and the dudes” by Guy Lawson and follows two fraudulent arms dealers Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill) and David Packouz (Miles Teller) who made it big by taking advantage of public bids on US arms and defence contracts. With sly impersonations mixed with sneaky business tactics, the two amass quite the fortunes. But for Efraim, there’s never enough money to go around and the two soon find themselves growing more and more unethical and relentless in their efforts to secure the biggest deals. As the film opens, the audience is treated to a set of statistics regarding the cost of outfitting soldiers in modern warfare, an intriguing piece of background that snags attention. From here the story unfolds over chapters as Packouz narrates the rise and eventual fall of their company AEY. The biggest component in the War Dogs lies with its contrasting tones; these are intentional in that as the story unfolds from the viewpoint of the two main characters, the audience is put into their perspective. In the eyes of Efraim and David, they’re making millions and living it up without ever having to deal with the consequences or understand the impact of their actions, so there’s a sense of glamour which hangs over their moral-free business ethics. But once it all comes unravelling and the duo gets too deeply involved, the film becomes more serious as the law begins to catch up with their deeds. The final third of the film is particularly engrossing as tempers flare and things spiral for the two main characters.

The two actors at the centre of War Dogs both keep the spotlight and both make their specific characteristics known. Efraim’s presence and self-absorbed mannerisms make up a big portion of the film; Jonah Hill plays the arrogant, self-indulged businessman with a charismatic glee, though occasionally he crosses the line into becoming annoying which distracts from the otherwise intriguing proceedings. By contrast, Teller is much more grounded as David’s family life with his girlfriend Iz (Ana de Armas) creeping into his dealings, creating a more considered element to his character. Much of the dialogue in War Dogs has an outrageous, over-the-top flair to it, emphasizing how taken aback and carefree the arms dealers are by their illegal successes; at times it reminded me of 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street. Beneath all the partying and celebrations lie two characters that are profiting off conflict and human misery and this clashes with their own viewpoints which are consistently pushes to the forefront.

Taking place in between 2005 and 2008, War Dogs contains several mentions of the Iraq War and it creates a fairly believable picture of the business. Scenes in both the Middle East and Albania create a more solemn atmosphere of looming tension and danger, another major contrast with the environment the dealers do their business from. The music is a mixture of wild party songs that reflect the extravagance of the dealers business, adding another layer to the film’s perspective based tones. In War Dogs a straightforward filming style takes a back seat to the portrayal of real world issues and it’s definitely the right way to go, further immersing the audience in the issue at the film’s centre.

War Dogs draws you in with its narrative, subverts it with tonal shifts and creates two memorable (if mostly unlikeable) characters. It takes some consideration to understand where the film is coming from, but behind its massively controversial and troubling subject matter you’ll find an incredibly entertaining and engaging dramatization.

Rating: 4/5 Stars