War Dogs Review

Todd Phillips' War Dogs was one of my highly anticipated movies of the summer. The Hangover is a favorite of mine and I was looking forward to seeing how he combined humor with certain dramatic elements that we have not seen him venture into. From all the trailers and promotional ads I was assuming to get a tone similar to The Wolf of Wall Street. I'd say my expectations are pretty much what I got. The movie does focus on a serious subject matter and decides to explore very dramatic themes at times. However, there is plenty of humor and jokes sprinkled throughout and oddly enough it fits well in a story about guns, war, and corruption. I think it is fitting though. Life is never completely serious. People are always throwing humor into situations or making witty jabs about certain matters. That's why I found that the tone fit in this film. Plus, most of the jokes land and give a layer of levity to the movie that is much needed when dealing with such a dark subject matter. Jonah Hill is awesome as usual. He plays the same type of guy as in The Wolf of Wall Street and he continues to shine in these roles were he mixes comedy and drama. I commend him because he put a different enough edge to this character to prevent it from feeling like he is doing the same shtick over and over. Miles Teller is good as well but in all honesty it did feel like another actor would have been just as good in the role. The person who makes only a small appearance but left a big impact was Bradley Cooper. He expertly conveyed the sense of mystery and the untrustworthy nature of his character. The movie does drag in a few places for small periods of time but they are by no means deal breakers. The soundtrack works well and as someone who knows nothing about the subject matter, it was really compelling to find out about the industry and see how this real life story unfolded. I really resonate with a film when I can connect with the characters and it hits me on an emotional level and unfortunately this did not quite get there for me. With all that in mind, I give War Dogs a solid B. I just wanted to add as a side note that I do feel like some of the negativity surrounding the movie is being fueled by personal political beliefs and I do think this is an enjoyable film. Regardless of your political beliefs, the movie is interesting and entertaining. In the end, Miles Teller's character may or may not come off as more "innocent" than he should. However, the film is critical of the wrongs committed in the case and you are left questioning the corruption that goes on in similar deals.