The trailers for “War Dogs,” make the film seem like another “bro-comedy,” with its only unique edge being that this time the “bros” in question are arms dealers during the height of the Iraq War.
While that rings true to an extent, the film proves to be much more effective as a drama, with occasional chuckle-worthy moments sprinkled throughout.
The film is based off of the “Rolling Stone” article “Arms and the Dudes” by Guy Lawson and revolves around two best friends from high school who find themselves at the heart of dealing arms to the U.S. military.
The central focus of the film is David Packouz, played by Miles Teller (“Divergent” series), who is a struggling massage therapist in Miami, Florida, living with his girlfriend Iz, played by Ana de Armas (“Knock Knock”).
Suddenly, his high school friend Efraim Diveroli, played by Jonah Hill (“The Wolf of Wall Street”), shows up in his life and reveals that he plans to start his own company, known as AEY, and bid on small contracts to sell guns and ammunition to the U.S. military. While initially skeptical, Packouz agrees to go along with the plan after Iz reveals to him that she is pregnant.
The film then delves into how the pair begin to successfully buy these contracts, becoming incredibly wealthy in the process, growing from a two-man team to a legitimate company.
However, things take a downward spiral when the company takes a deal involving the help of Henry Girard, played by Bradley Cooper (“10 Cloverfield Lane”).
Despite putting Hill at the forefront of the film’s advertising campaign, the film focuses on Teller, who narrates the story. This is a very smart and important decision, as Packouz is depicted in a more positive light than Diveroli, who becomes so unlikable that his scenes become hard to watch at times. Packouz is clearly in this business to support the people he loves, while Diveroli is willing to trample over those who meant anything to him for money.
The comedy in this film is not at the forefront. Instead, it is used as relief from the more intense moments of the story, whether those intense moments are a harrowing trip across Jordan to Iraq or in a shouting match between Diveroli and Packouz (or Diveroli and anybody for that matter).
Needless to say, the performance by Hill is much closer to his dramatic work than in any of his more light-hearted “stoner comedy” fare. This is not a bad thing as he is actually good at it. His devolution from a crass yet friendly person to a downright animal is the focal point, and Teller, like the audience, watches his madness from the outside. This again proves that making Packouz the focal point was the smart choice. He reacts the way that the audience would, as his life is spiraling out of control and his best friend becomes a pure villain.
The director of this film is Todd Phillips, who also directed the “Hangover” trilogy. This fact was also used in the advertising to emphasize it as a goofy comedy. However, this film is more of a drama than anything. In fact, if it was released in November, it might have been considered Oscar-bait.
