War Dogs (2016)

[CJohn]

Discuss it

[DAJK]

I gave this a B but it's a very "good B". For me, a B isn't "oh yeah the movie is decent I guess" because for me, that would be a C. A "B" is "this movie is pretty great and should certainly be given a shot."

 

I thought War Dogs looked terrible. The movie didn't look all that funny, the story while probably interesting in real like didn't seem all that gripping for a film. But that was because of bad trailers for sure as they failed to convey how surprisingly good War Dogs is. From the very first scene, the movie pretty much has you hooked in; you like Miles Teller's character and root for him even though you can tell he's a bit of a liar (you want him to get past his problems, not resent him because of them). Jonah Hill's character is a bit out there, but Hill does a great job and he and Teller are perfect foils for a film like this.

 

The movie is told for the most part in a bit of a self referencing way. It reminded me of the Big Short in a few ways with its narration and a lot of its storytelling beats. And while the movie is rarely (if ever) laugh out loud funny, there are plenty of subtle and chuckle worthy moments. Even though the ups and downs of the pacing, you're enthralled in the story and want to know what's going to happen next, even though the movie can be quite predictable at times.

 

So... yeah. War Dogs isn't winning any Oscars, but it was wayyyyyy better than j anticipated. It offers up a compelling story, two great leads, some humour, and a look at what motivated greed. The ending is spectacular, giving you a look at how what may seem like a minor setback can become a serious problem if not treated properly. This weekend as a whole was pretty good, and all the movies I saw were somewhat close in ratings.

 

77/100 or a B

[filmlover]

War Dogs could essentially be described as "Todd Philips' attempt at channeling Scorsese" but is much better than one might expect from that description. It doesn't always work (the usage of lines from characters as "chapters" feels unnecessary), but this is actually pretty compelling stuff for the most part. The film is also elevated by its stars: Miles Teller is a likable audience surrogate, but the movie belongs to Jonah Hill, who is quickly becoming one of the most fascinating actors of his generation. B

[Blankments]

There's only one thing worth really talking about in War Dogs: Jonah Hill. The man gives one of his best performances yet in his role as Efraim Diveroli. Shockingly funny while also scary at points, he commandeers the movie in such a way that when he's not on screen, the film actively suffers. That's not to say Teller does bad. He's alright, but slightly boring, but that's more the fault of the script than anything. Phillips' direction is outright terrible, making it feel like The Big Short without any of the electric insanity going through that movie. Tad overlong too. War Dogs is a movie that could've easily been forgettable if Jonah Hill hadn't come in and delivered something incredible. Thankfully, his performance makes War Dogs absolutely worth seeing despite its many other flaws. B-

[Gopher]

Hill is super charismatic in this - the character felt like the manifestation of him doing Jordan Belfort impressions to Leo on the set of WOWS. 

 

Otherwise, meh. Not nearly as outrageous or as socially biting as it thinks it is. But much more watchable than most of Todd Phillips' work. 

[dxmatrixdt]

B+

Spoiler

+

 

[The Panda]

It was like Todd was trying to make a Wolf of Wall Street or Goodfellas kind of film based on the Iraq war.  The only problem is  it's inconsistent tonally, isn't engaging, and lacks the energy it needs for this kind of film style to thrive.

 

Jonah Hill and Miles Teller do a good job with the material, but it doesn't change the fact that the material is pretty dull.  I was tuned in the entire time, but I was never engaged, and I never overly cared about what happened next.  It lacks the bite a film like this requires to succeed,

 

C

Edited August 28, 2016 by The Panda

[somebody85]

I really liked this (besides Miles Tellers pointless girlfriend arc and the out of place smoking scenes). It had the usual Todd Phillips feel. Soundtrack was good....then the 3rd act happened (what is it with movies not being able to close out properly this year?). From the moment Mike receives that call from Efraim, the movie nosedives. It's like it needed to be at least 20 minutes longer to display what a sociopath Efraim really was. Instead his character goes from good guy to asshole like a heel turn right out of the WWE (that cringe worthy elevator scene). Like, yeah we get a few scenes of him doing coke and partying here and there but that's it besides what Mike hears at dinner regarding the $70,000. It needed to be more fleshed out.

It's an extremely anticlimactic ending for what was once a pretty strong story with engaging characters (I even liked Miles Teller in this!). 

C

[RobinHood26]

B (84)

[Maxmoser3]

Surprisingly a pretty good movie. Miles Teller did a decent job, and Jonah Hill is entertaining.  B

[John Rambo]

Pretty good movie laced with humour which was surprising considering its theme! Jonah Hill nailed as Effraim! Never expected Miles Teller would be so good

7/10