Review of War Dogs (2016) by Christian M — 27 Aug 2016

At worst, War Dogs could be considered a repulsive and glorified look into Arms Trafficking and the illegal nature of the business - if you're to think and say that then I'd immediately reply by saying that you missed the point of the movie completely. At best, War Dogs could be considered an exciting yet dangerous insight into Arms Trafficking and the illegal nature of the business - if you're think and say that then I'd immediately reply by saying congratulations on not letting Political Correctness get in the way of you enjoying the movie. The film is essentially told through the eyes of our two protagonists who see what they're doing (criminal activity) as great and profitable, that's not 'glorifying' illegal behaviour or saying 'yes crime, it's wonderful' no! Instead its showing YOU the audience what these two real life people thought about the world and what they were doing in it, that's not 'glorification', that's a film that's being faithful to the source material. This is a remarkable true story of two friends becoming Gun Runners and then slowly watching their empire crumble around them but also having to deal with the inevitable strain on their since childhood friendship.The two leads that we follow, criminals? Yes. Likeable? Very. Did that bother me? Not one bit. The movie is bolstered by superb performances by both Jonah Hill and Miles Teller who sell us the idea that they've been friends forever - I was instantly hooked by Hill's narcissistic yet charming character who chews up the screen with witty/vulgar dialogue and one of the greatest laughs of all time, his shortcomings are excellently countered by Teller's naive albeit relatable character who for the most part just goes along with the absolute absurdity of the ride. Scored perfectly by Cliff Martinez and shot with dazzling precision by Lawrence Sher it's safe for me to say that War Dogs is a triumph when it comes to sound and cinematography; the latter for me is Oscar worthy. The movie is not without fault...Yes I only said fault because I only have one and that's the runtime. Personally its too short, it clocks in at 1 hour 55 minutes and for most people who attend the cinema these days that's about on par with 20 years jail time but for me who loves a long film it unfortunately wrapped up too abruptly; it didn't give me the closure that I wanted or that I needed considering I was fully invested in the characters and their story.

All in all War Dogs kept me intrigued and wanting more and more from start to finish, a truly extraordinary tale of what crime does to you in the short and long run. War Dogs is one of the years best films and now a personal favourite of mine!