Review of War Dogs (2016) by Ezra S — 11 Sep 2016

Even with ace casting and an undeniably alluring catch-all of a true story, Todd Phillips' most adult comedy to date nonetheless still feels the effects of his Hangover. A very compelling read, Guy Lawson's Rolling Stone article "Arms and the Dudes" shows great potential in inspiring an equally compelling dramedy. Hopefully, that film will arrive someday. Until then, audiences have War Dogs, a flick that skews too close to the comedy as opposed to drama end of the dramedy spectrum when it should fall dead in the middle. As a drama, it hits heavier than an Acme anvil. As a comedy, it carries less heft--a move in the right direction, mind you. This is to say that it's way less broad than Phillips's Road Trip and Old School, but you ultimately get the feeling that Phillips (along with his writing partners Stephen Cin and Jason Smilovic) really might think that war profiteering is supersexycool (even the poster art smacks of this, mirroring 1982's Scarface-an '80s classic remembered more for its cool gangster excess than as a morality tale). Indeed, Wolves in Sheep's Clothing of Wall Street would've been a better title as the tone emulates the flashy tone of Martin Scorsese's 2012 critical gem (which also starred Hill) without the A-Ha! proverbial moment when you realize that you've been deliriously buzzing about the hive so long that you're already hopelessly and dangerously stuck in the honey.

In this R-rated comedy based on a true story, young guns David Packouz (Teller) and Efraim Diveroli (Hill) win a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to arm America's allies in Afghanistan.

If anything, the director's latest troublingly hews closest in tone to 2010's Due Date, which was a buddy comedy involving a selfish man-boy focused on making it home for the arrival of his first born. The serious side of War Dogs should hit much harder than that, but our heroes' downfall lands with a thud during the climax as if the screenwriters knew that they had to include a moral but really don't believe in it. As with the Hangover series, a dead horse beat into a glue-like substance with two increasingly bad sequels in 2011 and 2013, the director at least has the benefit of great casting. The best thing of a mediocre aping of Lord of War, War Dogs boasts the acting talent of Hill (Hail, Caesar!), Teller (Fantastic Four), Kevin Pollak (Special Correspondents), and yes, Bradley Cooper (Joy). Of course, "boasts" may be taking it a bit too far.

Bottom line: War is Hella Cool.