War Dogs

Jonah Hill is pretty fat in this one, but he's also pretty good. Miles isn't bad, but Jonah stands out. The story is interesting, among other things, because it actually happened. But it also shows what is possible in today's world. The question arises: is it even worth wanting so much money at any cost, or would simply being a masseur be enough? (09/01/2017)

This film was a nice surprise. I was expecting some sort of a slog which would end with a disgustingly melodramatic scene. Thankfully, it failed to deliver in this regard. I’m still shaking my head in disbelief at such a rare phenomenon. The film confirmed two well-established facts. Wars are fought for money, and secret service agents wouldn’t find anything even if it was staring them in the face. I was entertained throughout. (10/01/2017)

Pleasant one-off. Too politically correct and a bit simplistic, but as a sequence of funny scenes with the great acting tandem of Miles Teller and Jonah Hill, it's fine. If you don't see it, you're not missing out on anything groundbreaking, but as light entertainment that so peripherally winks at the absurdities of war conflicts, the fact that it's money laundering, and shows the "beauty" of Albania (and the fact that there are good businessmen there too), it's OK. (03/12/2022)

I am no longer surprised that Todd Phillips made Joker in the style of a Scorsese film, because he already has a similar take on War Dogs, and I have no problem imagining Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci playing the leads instead of Miles Teller and Jonah Hill in some other universe. It’s a fine film. Nothing groundbreaking, but fine. (19/09/2022)

If I were to run a percentage analysis of all the important formal elements, it would look something like this: originality: 20%; screenplay: 70%; direction: 70%; actors: 60%; soundtrack: 120%, and you can easily guess the result. You can still watch it with the same glee with which a hirsute bum looks at a leftover sandwich in a trash can, and some of the scenes are downright schmaltzy (the Kalashnikov test to the accompaniment of “Wish You Were Here”, for example), but this film should have been made fifteen years ago so as not to give the overpowering impression that all its key ingredients have already been used many times elsewhere. Despite the great criticism of the global arms industry and the war business, War Dogs is, first and foremost, just another film about the steep rise and subsequent fall of two ambitious young men, whose relationship is not analysed in much detail and is more or less for effect; unlike Lord of War, which was much more tightly focused and, after all, more formally interesting. Strong three stars should do. (10/02/2017)