“War Dogs” is kind of an interesting movie.
You don’t quite know what genre it is, you don’t quite know what the plot is, you know it has Jonah Hill in it, so it must be somewhat funny. But then again, Jonah Hill has been nominated for an Academy Award twice so maybe it’s supposed to be a serious drama.
In reality, it’s not much of a comedy or a serious drama. And it certainly won’t get Mr. Hill nominated for anything. “Hangover” director, Todd Phillips, does his best to produce a cool, fun, late summer buddy flick, but that’s really all it is and nothing more.
At it’s best, “War Dogs” is a poor man’s version of “Goodfellas.” It focuses primarily on shady, illegal affairs accompanied by a jamming pop/rock soundtrack and laced with a generous portion of screamed f-bombs.
At its worst, it is highly reminiscent of Michael Bay’s 2013 true crime thriller “Pain and Gain.” It fails to effectively flesh out its characters and delivers little insight into the inner workings of their motivations.
At least you get to watch Jonah Hill and Miles Teller, whose on screen chemistry is undeniable and produces a fairly watchable good time.
Phillips goes at it with all he’s got, but unfortunately due to a flat script and a lack of original style we’re left with a pretty average screen filler for a high school friend group’s guy’s night out. It’s pretty much another dude bro, buddy movie except this time with lots of guns.
I give “War Dogs” 2.5/4 stars
