Film Review: War Dogs

WAR DOGS – 2 (out of 4 Stars)

When I saw the trailer for War Dogs I thought this was going to be a fun movie. There was plenty of funny scenes, interesting characters and a good premise.  How wrong could I have possibly been?  The film is nothing like the trailer.  In fact, the trailer contained the best parts of the movie.  You’d be better served if you just watch the trailer and skip the movie entirely so you don’t get let down.

This movie is a true story about David Packouz (Miles Teller), a licensed massage therapist who reunites with his childhood friend Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill) who earns a living fulfilling small weapons purchases from the US Government via the open public bidding process. With help of Ralph Slutsky (Kevin Spacey), who owns a string of dry cleaners around Miami to finance the purchases, they make a nice living rising towards the top of the financial food chain.

Successful at their small business, they decide to up their game and end up winning a major arms munition contract substantially lower than their closest competitor.  Unfortunately, this contract is far above their means and leads to a disastrous ending for everyone involved.

Unlike the 2005 movie Lord of War starring Nicholas Cage, Ethan Hawke and Jared Leto, where two brothers question the morality of their work (arms dealer) while being chased by an Interpol agent, this movie deals with the antics of young kids getting rich quick and the shenanigans they endure (legal or illegal) to complete the delivery.

This movie fell flat in many areas.  It’s basically another rags to riches to rags story that goes nowhere. I was very disappointed with this film as I felt they could have done much more given the material at hand. It seems as though the writing team and the director got bored halfway through the project.

If you’re a fan of Jonah Hill and Miles Teller then this movie may not be that bad but if you’re a fan of better movies, skip this one. There’s no reason to waste your money at the box office. Wait till it comes out on your home theater.

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