War Dogs Review

    There is Jonah Hill, weapon smuggling, and endless Scarface references. War Dogs should have it all, right? Although it has comedic elements, it's primarily a drama and is a good next step for director Todd Phillips. This movie has gotten very mixed reviews which makes the viewing experience appealing. Although War Dogs has some problems, it is ultimately a well directed story with very solid performances.
     War Dogs is based on the true story of two weapon smugglers named David Packouz (Miles Teller) and Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill). When the duo scores a $300 million contract from the Pentagon, they soon realize that the weapon smuggling business is a crazy ride.

     The directing of this film is something that very much stands out. Phillips style of directing is very reminiscent of Adam McKay's style with The Big Short. Both come from a comedic directing background and their style is very similar. The movie includes lots of freeze frames and jump cuts. The tone and structure is very much like The Wolf of Wall Street that really works for this film. Todd Phillips also directs in a way that exhibits good performances from his actors.
     The actor that stood out the most to me was Miles Teller. When this kids picks the right roles, he really shines. Audiences need him to do more films like Whiplash and War Dogs. His character was the best developed in this entire movie. Jonah Hill very much plays the same character from The Wolf of Wall Street. He does it very well though. Although the character's writing had some problems.
     Jonah Hill's character Efraim is often times very over the top. He does this weird chuckle that is humorous at the beginning but then loses its lust when it's over done. You knew exactly what this character was all about because we've seen it done in film over and over again
     The story for this movie is well directed. However, it is also very predictable at times. Without getting into spoilers, there are often times when you can tell exactly what the character's motivations are going to be. It is very formulaic and just goes through the beats. Even the soundtrack has songs that are constantly overused in films.
     The pacing of this story overall is pretty good. It only has a runtime of 2 hours and 2 minutes. However, the first hour feels like two. It takes awhile to gain momentum. Overall though, I had a fun time with this movie. The story had me entertained and very pleasantly surprised.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10