Film Review: ‘War Dogs’ Fires Blanks in a Sorry Attempt at Satire

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Average: 5 (1 vote)

CHICAGO – “War Dogs” is an insufferable, self important, and heavy handed attempt at satire that can’t stop congratulating itself for all the big truths it’s blowing up, bro. “Old School” and “Hangover” director Todd Phillips fancies himself an auteur, but here it seems like he’s imitating David O Russell imitating Martin Scorsese.

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 1.5/5.0
Rating: 1.5/5.0

He’s picked a subject ripe for satire. Inspired by the true story, David (Miles Teller) and Efraim (Jonah Hill) play a couple of old high school friends in Miami who reconnect at a friend’s funeral during the early oughts in the middle of the Afghan and Iraq wars. David is struggling just to get by as a massage therapist with a wife and a baby on the way, while Efraim has found a way to make easy cash by exploiting the bureaucracy of the military.

Efraim bids on small military contracts for things like night vision goggles or body armor, that the big defense contractors don’t bother with. He’s strictly a middle man making a good living off the crumbs left behind – but he’s got big plans to score a relatively big contract, and he brings David in on the operation. Together they become international arms dealers while barely leaving their office.

”War Dogs” opens everywhere on August 19th. Featuring Miles Teller, Jonah Hill, Bradley Cooper, Kevin Pollak and Ana de Armas. Screenplay by Todd Phillips, Stephen Chin and Jason Smilovic. Directed by Todd Phillips. Rated “R”

StarContinue reading for Spike Walter’s full review of “War Dogs”

Dogs1
Miles Teller and Jonah Hill in ‘War Dogs’
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

StarContinue reading for Spike Walter’s full review of “War Dogs”

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