Review of War Dogs (2016) by Matt C — 26 Aug 2016

Despite being advertised as a comedy, I wasn't expecting War Dogs to be one. That's a good thing too, because this movie isn't a comedy, attempting to be something more along the lines of The Big Short, but actually with even less humor.

When a movie tackles a subject like this, especially one based on actual events, it has to be mostly entertaining and well paced, which War Dogs is. It also needs to have a point of view and smart script, though, but director/co-writer Todd Phillips uses constant voiceover narration and an on-the-nose soundtrack to tell the story for him--most of this movie could have been an audio podcast.

Set in the mid 2000s, David Packouz (Miles Teller) is a massage therapist who reconnects with Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill), an old friend from middle school. When Efraim invites David to join his business AEY (which doesn't stand for anything), the two secure larger and larger contracts by illegally supplying the United States military with ammunition and weapons.

(However, let it be known that this movie is fictionalized to a strong degree.) There's a good amount that works in War Dogs. As one would expect, Todd Phillips's (The Hangover) direction brings a good amount of energy to the movie at a pretty consistent rate, and at 114, it's pretty well paced.

It drags a bit at the end of act two, but the movie is entertaining. It also does a good job at sprinkling humor throughout the movie without undermining the drama. Teller and Hill do good work as is to be expected and bring what they can to the table with underwritten characters and supporting players such as Ana de Armas in her one-dimensional role as David's wife.

In fact, the lackluster script is really indicative of the movie as a whole. The issues all stem from the fact that despite the movie's entertainment value, it's lazy--often distractingly so. Phillips may do a good job lending energy to the movie, but his direction and the work from co-writers Stephen Chin and Jason Smilovic have no voice in the matter here.

There's no sense of condemnation of the characters' actions and the script refuses to indulge in the awfulness of these two men, often times playing it safe which is probably because the real David Packouz was involved with this movie--he even has an appearance.

I'm not saying that they had to have glorified their behavior--in fact, I'm glad that they didn't--but at least have something to say. And speaking of saying something, the voiceovers in this movie are some of the worst that I've heard in a long time.

I can't remember the last time that a movie has told the audience something instead of shown them. You can't go three minutes without Miles Teller telling you what's going on and why. Some of it is just pandering.

When David and Efraim are looking anxious, David says something like, "We were really nervous." When David is conflicted about whether or not to take an offer, he says something like, "I really needed the money," as if these things weren't clear to us.

And as for exposition and resolution, it's all done through voiceover. You could listen to this movie as an audiobook and it'd probably make sense. Part of that is because the soundtrack is so distracting the entire time.

When they go to Jordan, "The Passenger" by Iggy Pop plays. Get it? Because they're passengers! And they ride and they ride! When they get arrested, which isn't a spoiler because it's a true story and alluded to in the trailer, "Behind Blue Eyes" plays.

"No one knows what it's like / To be the bad man / To be the sad man"--get it? Because they're bad men! And now that they got caught, they're also sad men! I'm shocked that they didn't use "Money" by Pink Floyd.

Shockingly enough, they used a different Pink Floyd song. War Dogs has its moments and I have no problem calling it an entertaining movie, and I enjoyed watched Jonah Hill throughout. In the scarce moments that it wants to be funny, it is funny, but almost all of those jokes are in the trailer.

And while I wasn't bored watching War Dogs, I can't call it a good or well written movie. It doesn't say anything new and its use of telling instead of showing is detrimental. There's a difference between using music to enhance a story and just putting music over a scene to tell a story for you, and this movie is so far in the latter category that it's annoying.

In fact, between Suicide Squad, Bad Moms, and now this, I'm starting to think that filmmakers don't know how to use music in movies anymore. 6/10, okay, one thumb down, average, etc.