Director:Â Todd Phillips
Cast:Â Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Ana de Armas, JB Blanc, Bradley Cooper, Barry Livingston, Ashley Spillers
Rating:Â 15
Running Time:Â 114 mins
Release Date:Â August 22nd, 2016
WAR DOGS wants to be THE WOLF OF WALL STREET for war films. But while it has moments of comedy and more moments of drama, it’s an uneven film that’s torn between two genres it isn’t sure how to treat. Is it a bro-out comedy about two guys getting rich as hell and benefiting of government loopholes or is it a dark drama about an egotistical liar who drags someone down into the dangerous world of gun running? WAR DOGS aims for both, but unfortunately it doesn’t have the guts to pull the trigger.
Miles Teller and Jonah Hill have easy chemistry together as David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, the former who spends his days making seventy five dollars an hour massaging “rich white dudes” before running into his old childhood friend, Efraim. Played with a larger than life personality by Hill, Efraim brings David into his business; bidding on weapon contracts that the other bigger companies ignore. As he puts it, they get the “crumbs of the pie”, and it’s not long before they set their sights on the whole pie, eventually running into fellow arms dealer Henry Girard, played by Bradley Cooper. Allowing full freedom to take his usual sarcastic roles into overload, Hill embodies Efraim with a unique personality – likable enough that you listen and, in a way, believe the things he says, but a look here and there and Jonah lets you know that this man is not to be trusted.
The film takes far long to turn him into a full blown villain, perhaps worried that it will deter people who were expecting THE HANGOVER with guns, so for a long time the audience is expected to laugh at the characters behaviors which, thanks to Hill’s brilliant comedic skills, can be laughed at but often steps over the line into unlikable territory. Teller does what he can as the straight man to Hill’s chaos, but unfortunately he’s straddled with all the typical cliches to be expected; the temptation of money, the arguments with his wife and worrying about his child. He isn’t nearly as fun to watch as Hill is.
It’s a step up for Todd Phillips, who seemed to be perpetually stuck in making crude, R-rated comedies. The success of ROAD TRIP, OLD SCHOOL and THE HANGOVER leading to less than desirable results like DUE DATE and THE HANGOVER PART II and III. Here, he’s matured and even crafted some exciting scenes amid all the profanity; a chase through the Baghdad desert a particular highlight. While it’s nowhere near as witty or clever as it thinks it is, the film has some things to say about the U.S. Government, all the more punctuated by the fact it’s based on a true story. It’s just a shame that Philips couldn’t move away from his background of gross out humour and create something that took itself seriously.
For all the attempts at making you laugh and trying to keep the audience engaged, some of the films most memorable images come from very understated scenes, one example; Teller’s character is awoken in the middle of the night by the cries of his new born baby. As he rests the baby against his chest he browses a government website for some more gun deals, eventually stumbling upon the mother-load of deals. Ignoring his baby’s cries and its discomfort, he excitedly calls Efraim to tell him about the deal. If WAR DOGS had stuck to this balance of dark character study and parody, it might have had as much to say as it thinks it does.
VerdictÂ
