Twenty-something massage therapist David Packouz (Miles Teller) just wants to make a living for himself and his young family that is on the way.
After meeting up with his old school friend, Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill), at a funeral, the two team up to sell weapons to the U.S. government for the Iraq War that is raging on.
The pair encounter various problems in making their millions, with Henry Girard (Bradley Cooper) and gun embargoes in the way.
We say “Who wants to be a millionaire?”
HOWE: As some great songwriter once wrote, “War, huh, what is it good for?”
This based-on-a-true-story movie is very good. I wouldn’t say great, but it certainly kept me entertained for the nearly two hours that it ran.
Normally in a true story, liberties are taken, bits are added, but with War Dogs that doesn’t happen.
It doesn’t show what is going on in Albania when the pair isn’t there. It just adds enough bits to make the movie more tasty and I congratulate the writers for that.
TAYLOR: I agree.
HOWE: Jonah Hill is a very good actor.
I was never a fan of his in his younger days. I found him to be too much in your face and pretty obnoxious. Yet, the last few films I have seen him in – Wolf of Wall Street, Moneyball to name a few – he has grown on me.
Miles Teller (Whiplash), on the other hand, is a fantastic actor. I think this guy will last the distance in the film industry. He doesn’t seem to make that many mistakes when picking a role, well except for The Fantastic Four reboot.
TAYLOR: I agree.
HOWE: The movie itself ticks all the right boxes. It is funny, exciting, fascinating and it has some action to boot. It doesn’t drag on, boring the audience to death with every little detail.
Yes, it has its faults but they are few and far beyond that you don’t notice them.
So I will ask the question again: War, huh, what is it good for?
Well, I would say, after watching this, money.
TAYLOR: I agree.
– Howe gives War Dogs 3.5 oily hands out of 5.
Reel Reviews with Brian Taylor and Peter Howe appears every Friday in The Morning Star.