‘All the money is made between the lines…’
I fucking love Jonah Hill. I feel like if him and I went out for beer and ribs we would both have a wonderful time. That gives me a natural predilection towards enjoying any film he is in. War Dogs is worth watching just for Hill’s invented high pitch laugh alone… got me every time.
The perceived problem with War Dogs is that the plot is morally questionable, what with the two main protagonists being international arms dealers. People had similar problems with another Jonah Hill flick The Wolf of Wall Street. To take umbrage at the subject matter however is to miss the point entirely. Not every piece of art needs to be deconstructed and taken apart until any ounce of joy that was present has been sucked out. Sometimes a movie is just that. A movie. People need to lighten up.
War Dogs gives Hill and Miles Teller the chance to tell a compelling and original story in an entertaining and light hearted way. Teller has not quite lived up to the mammoth potential he showed in Whiplash but his turn as the metaphorical good cap to Hill’s bad cop here is another solid performance. Throw in cool customer Bradley Cooper and experienced director Todd Phillips and you are left with an enjoyable movie that is a nice, easy watch. The soundtrack is fucking brilliant as well.
War Dogs won’t win any awards and nor should it but in terms of pure entertainment it is one of the better films I have seen in 2016 and if you don’t want to be entertained then why the fuck are you watching movies in the first place?